She Left
by ClosetMisfit
Summary: Follows the storyline of Holby City S18E51 Life in the Freezer. After Bernie leaves for Ukraine, Serena is devastated. When someone else walks into her life, Serena begins to be happy and live again. But what happens when Bernie returns? Will old feeling re-ignite? Or will things stay the same? Serena/OC Bernie/Alex Alex/OC Eventual Serena/Bernie
1. When She Left

"There you are!" said Serena, noticing Bernie's presence in their office. "Where've you been?"

Guiltily, Bernie replied, "I, umm… I went to see Hanssen. I've accepted the secondment."

Serena, devastated, says, "What?"

Bernie avoids Serena's eye, instead replying, "I think the prospect of me leaving has put too much pressure on us to decide how we feel."

"No! No, it made me realise… I told you I don't want you to go." She moved closer to Bernie, holding onto her, desperately.

Pushing Serena away, Bernie said, "But that's what you don't want. You need time and space to decide what you do want."

Teary-eyed, Serena whispers, "It's the same thing."  
"No it's not. I know that I don't want to hurt you because I care about you…" she hesitates as if she wants to say something, but instead turns and rushes out the office.

Desperately Serena follows, pleading, "No,wait! Look, please? Please don't do this. I can come and see you… we could meet halfway…"

"Stop please!" Bernie looks around, embarrassed and turns to leave only muttering, "I'm sorry."

Serena stands, rooted to the spot watching Bernie leave, only getting pulled out of her thoughts when Raf said her name. Serena whispers, "I don't want to talk about it." She hurries off to her office and sits heavily in her chair. She leans forward on her desk, her head in her hands, muttering, "Stupid, stupid idiot!" tears rolling down her face.

* * *

"Come on, Campbell, pull yourself together," Serena murmured, wiping away her tears. She was pulled abruptly from her sorrow by a sharp rapping on her window. Serena looked blankly out the window thinking she would see Raf or Fletch. Instead she was surprised when she saw an astoundingly beautiful woman, staring back at her with a look of concern on her face.

Getting quickly out of her car, pretending she hadn't been crying, Serena asked the woman, "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Caroline Scott. You look upset. Is anything the matter?"

"It's nothing, just personal problems," Serena replied.

"It didn't look like nothing," Caroline insisted.

Sighing, Serena replied, "It's Berenice bloody Wolfe! She's left us all in the lurch, like chickens without our heads."

"Are sure that's all that's bothering you?"

"Yes… No. She and I, that is, we… Never mind."

"You were an item?"

Serena shook her head.

"Oh, you had feelings for one another. It all makes sense. Don't worry we've all been there."

"Thanks. Do you want to get a coffee? I'm Serena, by the way."

"That would be lovely, Serena," Caroline all but purred.

Serena smiled and began at a brisk pace toward the hospital, with Caroline just keeping up.

"So," said Caroline, "What ward are you on?"

"AAU… so we'll be seeing quite a lot of each other. Will your position be identical to Ms Wolfe's?"

"Yes… General and Trauma Consultant Surgeon and Co-Clinical lead. Quite big shoes to fill. I've never done it but I'll be glad to give it a go. Although I do wonder who the other co-lead will be. I hope it's not someone ghastly. Please tell me it isn't a man!"

"Well, I can hardly tell you she's a man considering you've looking right at her. And don't worry, I'll be there to help you fill Ms Wolfe's rather large shoes."

"You're the Co-lead? Shit! I'm so sorry, I have a big mouth and I never think before I speak."

"Don't worry about it… I have the exact same problem."

They ordered their coffees and made their way to AAU. However, that would be the last conversation they'd have for a while because of their extremely busy surgical schedules and the mountain of paperwork piled on their desks. One afternoon, they were both stuck in the office with more paperwork to do. Serena glanced over at Caroline, before nervously (and awkwardly) asking, "Do you want to get a drink with me at Albies tonight?"

Caroline was shocked but still replied, "Yeah, that'd be lovely."

After their shifts ended, they made their way to Albies discussing the surgeries they'd done in the past week. Once at the bar, they ordered their drinks… for Serena, the usual Shiraz, while Caroline ordered a scotch.

A couple of hours (and many drinks) later both women were more than a little tipsy. They were very giggly, until suddenly, Caroline stopped laughing and stared at Serena seriously. Serena is taken aback but stares back with curiosity.

"I really like you," Caroline admitted.

Serena smiles, "Good. Because I really like you, too."

They lean in, slowly until their lips brush together. Softly, but passionately, they move their lips, increasing the passion until the need for air stopped their efforts.

"Serena," Caroline whispered, huskily. Then she kissed Serena with even more hunger and passion then before. Serena wrapped her arms around Caroline's shoulders pulling her closer, until their bodies were completely touching. Suddenly, Bernie entered Serena's mind and she pulled away quite abruptly.

"I'm sorry," muttered Serena. "I can't do this right now."

"No, I'm sorry, it's my fault. I shouldn't have pushed myself onto you. I don't think I can do this either right now. Shall we take things slowly?"

"Yes," Serena smiled. "That'll be lovely."

"Come on, I'll drive you home."

The car drive was silent, but it was a comfortable silence. Every so often, the silence was broken when Serena would tell Caroline which direction to go. When they reached serena's house, Serena made to open her car door and exit the car, when Caroline grasped her wrist. She turned around in her seat, smiled and Caroline and kissed her. It was soft, and chaste but they still knew what they wanted… Each other. However, both wordlessly agreed that they weren't ready. With a soft smile, Serena got out the car and with one last look at Caroline, entered her house.

A few weeks later, Caroline and Serena had arrived at work, when Serena stopped dead in her tracks, shocked. Caroline stopped and leaned in, "Are you okay?"

"Yes. It's just that I've realised that Ms Wolfe is returning today. That there, is her car," she pointed to the spot where a graphite sports car was parked.

"Oh. That means that I'll no longer work here any longer. It means I won't see you everyday."

Serena took Caroline's hands, "I won't let anything happen to us. We can meet after work or during lunch. We will make this work. Okay?"

"Thanks, Serena."

Serena stared at this woman, and one thought entered her mind, ' _I love you,'_. She couldn't believe that only in a few short weeks she had fallen so deeply for the woman before her. It hurt to see Caroline struggling with her tears. She looked deep into Caroline's hazel eyes, "Nothing is going to happen to us. Okay? I promise you. This is only a minor issue. I will do everything in my power to make sure you don't get hurt. Because believe it or not, I have feelings for you… Strong ones that I can't control, so you're going to have to live with that. Understood?"

"My God, Serena," said Caroline, tearfully. "You really do know how to make a girl fall for you. And by the way, I have feelings for you, too."

Serena took her hand, and led her to the hospital. Caroline looked down at their clasped hands, shocked, and asked Serena, wordlessly if she really wanted this. Serena smiled, reassuring her. So, after the usual coffee, they headed up to AAU, where they entered the office, pretending that they didn't know that Bernie had returned. It made it easy for them considering she wasn't in the office anyway. Almost as soon as they'd got into the office, Hanssen arrived, asking to speak to Caroline in private.

"Anything you want to say to me can be said in front of Serena, Mr Hanssen," Caroline stated.

"Okay, well… considering Ms Wolfe has returned from her secondment today, your services are no longer required, Ms Scott. I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you to pack your things until we do need you again."

Ten minutes later, Caroline and Serena were heading down to the car park, to Caroline's car. Teary-eyed, they spoke a quiet, "Goodbye," and Caroline drove away. Serena watched her go, this scene all too familiar for her. However, she realised that she could still see Caroline anytime she wanted, unlike when Bernie left for Ukraine. So with a smile on her face, she returned to AAU and immediately took on a relatively simple case. However, she decided to get a second opinion. She was discussing her patient with Raf, when she heard a quiet voice say just one word, "Serena." She only knew one person who could put so much passion into just her name… It was Berenice Wolfe.


	2. Upon her return

_A/N: This is definitely not the end, there is still a fair bit more. Bernie's character is a lot different to how she is portrayed in Holby City. It's purposely done. At the moment, she is just brooding over Serena but don't worry, she'll be fine... She'll be back to her old self soon._

 _And Jason doesn't exist in this story… Somehow the plot works better without him. Apologies to whoever likes Jason and wants him in the story… It's not gonna happen._

 **Bold** – text messages  
 _Italics_ – thoughts

"Ah, Ms Wolfe. Pleased to have you back," Serena said, not even daring to look at Bernie. "How was Ukraine?"

"Umm… Ukraine was lovely. How was life on AAU?" Bernie asked, frazzled, thinking, _'Why did she call me Ms Wolfe? Is she really that angry at me?'_

"Well, we had multiple trauma cases, which we dealt with, even without our Trauma Consultant," Serena said, with a pointed look to Bernie. "But apart from that everything ran like a well-oiled machine."

Before Bernie could reply, a patient was brought in. Serena excused herself to go deal with the casualty, while Bernie stood there, completely dumbfounded. _'Surely my leaving for Ukraine hasn't damaged our relationship that much,'_ Bernie was so confused. She thought that Serena would have forgiven her and forgotten everything. But it seemed that wasn't the case. Bernie was so upset that she all but ran into her office, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

Serena's entire day was spent avoiding Bernie, even when Bernie had tried to talk to her. She just couldn't deal with Bernie today. She was so mad at her, could pretty much kill her, but at the same time was so pleased to have her back. When Bernie had left, Serena felt so lost, like she was just existing, not living. But, Caroline had come along and saved her from that sad existence. And right now, Serena was happier than she had ever been before. But she knew she couldn't ignore Bernie forever, she'd have to talk to her. But not right now.

* * *

' **How's the shift. Caroline x'  
** ' **Hell… She won't leave me alone.'  
** ' **Why don't you just talk to her?'  
** **'I can't. I can't handle being in the same room as her, let alone actually having to talk to her. She made me so mad Caroline! I don't even want to look at her.'**

Even though she couldn't see Serena, Caroline knew that Bernie would be testing her patience today. She wanted to be there to comfort and hold her, but she had no reason to be at Holby. She didn't work there any longer, nor did she think she ever would again. But Caroline knew that she still had Serena, so she was happy.

Quickly, Caroline texted Serena, **'Albies after your shift then?'  
** ' **As long as you buy me a bottle of their finest Shiraz.'  
** ' **It's a date'**

* * *

Bernie was desperate to talk to Serena, to sort everything out, to try again. She knew what she wanted now, and she hoped that Serena did too. She hoped that they wanted the same thing; each other. But so far, the opportunity to talk hadn't come up. When she noticed Serena in their office, she knew that this was the opportunity to talk to her, to try again. Hurrying over to the office, she only had Serena on her mind, nothing else, just her.

Quietly entering the office, Bernie sat behind her desk, intending on watching Serena, waiting for her to say something. But almost as soon as Bernie had sat down, Serena stood up and made to exit the room.

"Wait, Serena! We need to talk," Bernie almost begged, standing quickly to block the exit.

"Okay. Let's talk, Ms Wolfe. Do you want to talk about how you left because you were a coward, how you left me heartbroken or how you ignored everything I said that day or even told me what I feel?" Serena replied scathingly.

"Serena, I can't pretend that everything you've said is a lie. Because it's not. You're telling the absolute truth. I left because I'm a coward… I couldn't deal with my own feelings so I ran. I regret leaving you heartbroken, I regret everything that happened before I left. But I can't change that. I want you to forgive me, I want us to try again. I want you. And I want you to call me Bernie. Please?"

"Ms Wolfe… Bernie, just because you regret everything that happened and that you are apologetic doesn't mean that everything between us is fine. But you are right. You can't change what happened between us. And there isn't anything to forgive because I already have. At one point, I would have jumped at the chance to try again. I would have leapt across this office just to kiss you, but there's nothing that makes me want to do that anymore. You see, I took your advice. I figured out what I do want and what I don't want. And once again you're right… They are both completely different things – "

"Serena, please… I wasn't thinking straight that day. I was confused, scared even."

"I don't care, Bernie. I just don't care because I'm not interested in your point of view on that day or even what you were thinking. I'm more interested in my own wellbeing," Bernie made to interrupt, but Serena continued. "No. Bernie, you need to listen. I took the time to decide what I wanted and I have. When you first left, if anyone asked what I wanted, I would have said you. But I don't want you anymore. I've moved on Bernie. I'm happy now. I suggest you move on, too."

"What?"

"I've got someone else, Bernie. You need to find someone else."

"Is it anyone I know?" Bernie couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was so sure that everything would be sorted out.

"No. It's the locum that took over from you. Not that it's really any of your business anyway."

"Okay, I'm glad you're happy." But really, Bernie was dying inside. She was sure that she could hear her heart breaking. "I'll leave you in peace to do your paperwork. I have a patient."

But Bernie didn't have a patient. She instead left the ward, and headed straight for the roof. She could always think up there. But this time, when she got there, she just collapsed and burst into tears. She was sobbing for Serena, for her own heart, for another person she hurt through her cowardice and for what she could have had. All the time in Ukraine, all she could think about Serena and the future they could have together once she returned. But that had all shattered because Serena had someone else. She was surprised when she felt a pair of arms surround her. She didn't care who it was, she leant into their chest and just cried until she couldn't cry anymore. Looking up to the person, she saw it was Dr Copeland.

"I'm sorry," Bernie muttered, through shaky breaths.

"Don't worry about it, Major. I just thought you needed a shoulder and I was right."

"Thanks. Oh, I've ruined your scrubs."

"That's okay. Everyone has ruined someone else's scrubs before. Surprisingly, even me."

Bernie gave a weak laugh, "I thought everything was going to be fine. I thought we'd still have something, but she moved on."

"Alex Dawson?"

"No… Serena."

"Ms Campbell?! She's gay? Sorry, not the thing to focus on right now."

"Well, that's the thing. I didn't think she was. But we'd been dancing around each other for weeks and then the day that I left for the secondment, she kissed me and told me how she felt, and I got so scared, so I left." With another shaky sob, Bernie burst into tears again. "Dr Copeland, I'm so sorry…"

"Bernie, call me Dom, for starters. And it's honestly fine. I'm here for you. Cry on me all you want, but you might need to fix your makeup before you return to AAU"

"Thank you, Dom. I really did need your shoulder. It's quite a good one, too. I'm all right now, I think I can go back to work."

With another reassuring squeeze, Dom stood up and allowed Bernie to leave. After a quick trip to the bathroom, Bernie returned to AAU and threw herself into her work. She didn't even give Serena another look that day. She wasn't sure she could. At the end of her shift, Bernie made sure to rush out of the hospital and to her car so that she could get home.

* * *

Serena however, noticed Bernie's strange behaviour for the rest of the day, but she didn't feel guilty. She did what she had to do. For the rest of Serena's shift, she was only looking forward to going to Albies with Caroline. When her shift did end, though, she made sure to take her time so that she wouldn't have to see Bernie. Serena slowly made her way to Albies and entered to find Caroline already sitting at a table with a bottle of Shiraz ready for her to drink.

Caroline knew not to ask Serena anything about her day until she had at least finished her first glass of wine. When she did, however, Caroline asked Serena, "How did your day go?"

"Oh, God. It was hell seven times over. Although the patients were easy to handle, Bernie wasn't. She kept trying to talk to me, but I tried so hard to avoid her. But she eventually succeeded, no surprises there. I broke her… And the worst part is that I didn't even feel bad about it. I felt it was revenge. She pretty much begged me to take her back, but I refused in the harshest possible way. I treated her so badly. I told her about us and she broke. Caroline, am I a bad person?"

"Oh, Serena… sounds like you had quite the day. No. You aren't a bad person. You are so lovely, fantastic even. Remember that she hurt you so badly and it took me weeks to put you back together. Honestly, she deserved to have that treatment, okay? You are a good person."

Serena just dissolved into tears at that. Caroline made the decision to take her home, with the bottle of Shiraz (obviously). Once there, Caroline made sure that Serena was tucked into bed and felt okay before she headed downstairs to find Serena's address book and wasn't surprised to find Bernie's address in there. Quickly writing it down, Caroline left to pay the woman a visit.

* * *

Bernie was pulled from her book as she heard someone knock at her door. She was curious as to who would be visiting at this late hour. She opened the door to find a gorgeous woman standing there. "May I help you?" Bernie asked respectfully, while discreetly looking the woman up and down.

"Yes. But you can invite me in first, Ms Wolfe," Caroline all but demanded.

"Of course. Come in," Bernie stood aside to let her in. "Who are you?"

"I'm Caroline Scott. I've come to see you about Serena."

"What about her?"

"When I first met her, she was crying over you. She was devastated that you'd left. When I first met her, she was so in love with you. She was broken almost beyond repair because you had left her all alone even after she had admitted her feelings for you. You left her because of your own selfish notions and that's not okay. I spent weeks after I first met her, trying to reassure her that it would all be okay and that I wouldn't leave her. She was so vulnerable. I'm amazed that her work colleagues didn't notice it. And finally, I got her to a place where she is happy, safe and comfortable. But, now you've returned. And I'm so frightened that she will revert back to her vulnerable self, that she will fall back into her old ways. You're destructive Ms Wolfe. You hurt nearly everyone around you, to the point where they barely exist."

"How dare you come into my home and speak to me like that?! Who the hell do you think you are?! It isn't any of your business what happens between Serena and I anyway!"

"I'll start with your first question: I dare because you need to be told what you do to people. To answer your second question: Serena's girlfriend is who the hell I am, which makes anything between you two my business."

"You're Serena's girlfriend. I didn't believe that she had actually moved on. Tell me one thing, are you happy?" Bernie collapses onto the sofa.

"Yes. We make one another happy and we count on one another. What I'm asking you is that you stay away from her. Keep it professional, for her sake and mine. I can't put her back together again without breaking myself. Anyway, I'll see myself out. Thank you for your time."

Caroline turned on her heel and left. Bernie, still recovering from what Caroline had said to her, remained on the sofa, just thinking about all she'd done to Serena. In a fit of rage, Bernie upturned the table in front of her. Glass was shattered and papers were damaged, but Bernie didn't care. All she cared about was Serena… But she couldn't have her, didn't deserve her. She didn't deserve anyone.


	3. One Month Later

It had been a month since Bernie had returned from secondment. A month since she realised she'd lost Serena, a month since she got a culture shock and just under a month since she and Alex decided to try again. Bernie didn't deny that she was initially just using Alex to get over Serena. However, it all changed when Bernie realised that she still had feelings for Alex, that they had chemistry and that the happy bubble they had while in the Army existed in the real world.

Serena and Caroline had been together for another month and were still happy in the blissful beginnings of their relationship, where everything was new and exciting. They would spend days together, just talking about things they didn't know about one another. They were content just being with one another.

Everything was going so well for both couples. Serena and Bernie kept their relationship strictly professional, not knowing anything about each other's respective partners, and neither actually asked. Caroline hadn't paid Bernie another visit since she returned from secondment and Alex was just happy that she had Bernie back.

* * *

Bernie cursed, realising that, once again, she was late for work. She really shouldn't have stayed out so late last night. She'd gone to a bar with Alex, and they'd had a few too many glasses of wine. So, not only was Bernie late, she was hungover, and extremely tired. "Move!" Bernie exclaimed as the car in front of her wasn't moving. She hit the car horn and the car moved. _'Finally,'_ Bernie thought, relieved. She'd still be late, but not as late as she could have been.

Bernie pulled into her car space and checked her watch. She was 15 minutes late. She'd have to forego her usual morning coffee, and head straight up to the ward. She quickly pulled on her scrubs once there and tied back her hair. Checking her reflection in the mirror, she saw her tangled hair and frazzled appearance, but thought, _'It'll do.'_

"Bernie, nice of you to finally show up," was how Fletch addressed her when she arrived on the ward.

"Of course, Fletch. I made sure to arrive fashionably late as always," Bernie replied, sarcastically.

Chuckling, Fletch handed Bernie a new patients file, "Nice, easy morning for you, Major."

"Thanks, Fletch."

However, almost as soon as she reached her patient, the red phone rang. After answering the call, Fletch shouted, "Look alive, people! We have a trauma patient coming in. ETA 15 minutes!"

"Dr Di Lucca! Can you take my patient please? I have to prep the trauma unit," Bernie asked, shoving the file into Raf's hands. "Serena! We have a trauma patient on their way. Care to assist?"

"Of course. Let's get prepared."

Both women began barking orders at their team, paging nurses and preparing for theatre. The gurney came thundering into AAU, with Paramedics shouting, "We have a male, approximately 25 years of age, crashed his car into a tree. We believe he has extensive internal injuries. We gave him 10 of morphine, but he slipped into unconsciousness on the way here," then handing straight over. Bernie ordered the patient straight to Trauma and followed closely, exchanging a look with Serena that clearly said, _'This is going to be tough.'_

Over an hour later, Bernie had finished stitching up the patient. She was in the process of scrubbing out, when Serena walked in, "Another save for Major Berenice Wolfe!"

"I couldn't have done it without you. He would have been dead if you hadn't talked some sense into me," Bernie replied, unwilling to take all the credit.

"That is true. I suppose I should be given the credit."

Bernie laughed, "It was a team effort. We'll leave things at that."

They shared a heated look, before Bernie coughed and turned away. They finished scrubbing out and returned to the ward to complete the paperwork they tried so hard to avoid. Serena checked her phone to find she had 3 messages, all from Caroline.

' **Hey, sweetheart. How's your day?**

 **I have fantastic news!**

 **They need need a locum at St. James's so I'll have another job'**

Serena quickly replied, with, **'Sorry, Love. I was in theatre. That's fantastic news! I hope you enjoy it there.'**

' **Oh, Serena! I'm so excited. What if they offer me a permanent position?'**

' **Then you'll take it, I presume.'**

' **That's true. Can we meet at Albies to celebrate?'**

' **Yes. That would be lovely.'**

Bernie looked at Serena, who was smiling. 'Good news?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Yes, I believe so. I have to get back to work. Excuse me."

"Of course. See you later."

Bernie's phone began to ring. It was Alex.

"Hey you," Bernie answered.

"Hi. How's work?" Alex replied.

"Tiring. I just spent the past hour working on a trauma patient with extensive injuries. But luckily we saved him in time."

"Sounds like you have your hands full."

"You can say that again. It doesn't help that I have a hangover."

Alex laughed, "That was your idea, Major. You didn't have to drink the bottle."

"Speaking of bottles, do you want to meet at Albies tonight?"

"What for? Do you have anything to celebrate?"

"There's no reason… I just want to spend the evening in a bar with my girlfriend. Is that a problem?"

"No. I'd be happy to meet you there after your shift."

"Good. Now I have to go check up on my patients, so I'll see you then."

"Okay. Bye."

Bernie ended the phone call, took a deep breath, then hurried off to her trauma patient to check his stats. Everything seemed normal, so she returned to the ward to see if there were any other patients that needed her attention. She spent the remainder of her shift swapping between different patients and checking up on her trauma patient.

Bernie was exhausted. She felt run off her feet, so for the last 10 minutes of the shift, she was hiding in her office working on her mountain of paperwork just counting down the minutes until her shift was over. When she finally finished her shift, she hurriedly changed into her civvies and left for Albies. She entered the bar and headed straight toward the bar, ordering a scotch and locating Alex quite quickly, went to sit by her.

Almost as soon as Bernie sat down, Alex left for the bathroom. Bernie was surprised when she saw Serena and Caroline. They were looking quite cosy, sitting close to one another, just whispering and smiling. Bernie felt a surge of the green-eyed monster. Why was she jealous of them? She had Alex; she was happy and in love. She quickly stood up to order another scotch, but this time it was a double. She downed that at the bar, and ordered another. She was heading back to her table, when she bumped into someone familiar. She noticed the long, dirty-blonde hair and those deep, hazel eyes. It was Caroline. Bernie was taken aback. She hadn't seen this woman since she returned from Ukraine. Bernie avoided her gaze and hurriedly returned to the table.

* * *

Caroline leaned even closer to Serena, and excused herself, "I need to visit the ladies."  
"Okay. Hurry back though."

Caroline pecked her on the cheek, and said, "Don't worry, I will."

On her way to the bathroom, she collided with a shorter blonde haired woman. She was about to say something when she hurried off. Watching her go, Caroline noticed something familiar about her. When she sat at the table, Caroline realised that it was Bernie Wolfe. The same woman she reprimanded for hurting Serena, the same woman she was originally jealous of because of her relationship with her girlfriend and the same woman who she hadn't heard of for the past month. She shook her head and continued to the bathroom. She walked in, noticing a lean woman with short brown hair at the basin.

* * *

Alex was just finishing in the bathroom when a woman walked in. Alex immediately took notice of this woman. She felt something attract her to the unfamiliar woman. She turned around and leant against the sink she was using. She watched the woman walk into the bathroom and move until she was standing directly in front of her.

The woman stuck out her hand, "Hi. I'm Caroline."  
Grasping the outstretched hand, Alex replied, "Alex."

"What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"I have a friend who works at Holby." Alex was curious about what this woman wanted.  
"Is this friend just a friend? Or is there something more?"

Alex thought that this woman was being quite nosy and decided to be direct with her, "Look, I don't know what business it is of yours what I'm doing here, but I'm here with my girlfriend, Major Berenice Griselda Wolfe. I assume you've heard of her?"

Caroline looked shocked for a moment, but recovered quickly, saying, "Yeah, I have. I was the locum that took over her job while on secondment."

"Must have been a challenge."  
"Quite. Do you want to come back to my table with Bernie and we can all enjoy a drink together?"

"It seems amicable, but I'll have to speak with Bernie first."

Alex arrived back at the table, and instead of sitting down, she took Bernie's hand and led her over to the table where Caroline and Serena were sitting. Arriving at the table, Alex took one of the free chairs and dragged Bernie into the other. Bernie was reluctant to look at either Caroline or Serena. She quickly stood up and went to the bar, ordering a glass of white wine instead of scotch. She didn't want another hangover. Bernie was surprised when Serena accompanied her. However, she wasn't surprised when she ordered a shiraz. Neither spoke to the other, suffering in silence not knowing what to make of the situation. So, in proper British manner they just stood awkwardly next to each other, waiting for their drinks. The silence was only broken when Serena spoke up.

"Look, we need to work past this," Serena started.

"Work past what?" Bernie replied, feigning confusion.

"This awkward energy between us. It isn't right."

"What do you suggest we do? We've kept it professional this past month and it's been working. What is there to fix?"

"We were once such good friends. I'd really like to have that back again."

"I don't think that's wise. Caroline won't stand for it."

"What do you mean?" Serena was confused.

"You don't know?" At Serena's negative response, Bernie continued. "She visited me the night I returned from Ukraine. Gave me a piece of her mind about how I was treating you and everyone around me. She was correct of course, but she told me to stay away from you, to keep it professional for both your sakes."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I even upturned my coffee table that night. It was quite the mess."

"So you're telling me that you were subjected to a stern talking to from Caroline?"

"Yes. But it's okay, because it made me realise how badly I treated everyone in my life. Including you."

"Bernie, I'm so sorry."

"Sorry for what? You haven't done anything wrong."

"I'm sorry for how I treated you when you came back from Ukraine. You hurt me so badly and I wanted you to know how it felt. I considered it vengeance. But, I treated you like dirt and broke your heart and I'm so sorry. I feel so guilty over how I made you feel. You tried to make things right and I threw it back in your face. I want us to return to how we were before everything got so complicated. You know, friends… What do you say?"


	4. What Happens Next

_**BOLD AND ITALICS: Dream**_

 _Italics: Thoughts_

Last chapter:

" _Bernie, I'm so sorry."_

" _Sorry for what? You haven't done anything."_

" _I'm sorry for how I treated you when you came back from Ukraine. You hurt me so badly and I wanted you to know how it felt. I considered it vengeance. But, I treated you like dirt and broke your heart and I'm so sorry. I feel so guilty over how I made you feel. You tried to make things right and I threw it back in your face. I want us to return to how we were before everything got so complicated. You know, friends… What do you say?"_

* * *

Bernie thought that it was time to be brave and tell Serena what she felt, "No. We can't be friends."

"What?" replied Serena, devastated.

"I said we can't be friends."

"What? Why? I thought that you wanted to fix things."

"Serena – "

"Please, Bernie?"

"No. We can't be friends because I want so much more than that. I don't just want your friendship. I want you… all of you. I want to be able to hold you and kiss you and make love to you. I don't want to share you with anyone else. I want to be yours and I want you to be mine regardless of the drama or the gossip or even the consequences. What do you say?"

"Oh, Bernie… I want to say yes so badly, but what about Caroline and Alex? We're both still committed to them."

"You're right. But look," Bernie gestured towards Alex and Caroline, who were leaning rather close to one another. "You can't tell me that they won't be okay with us leaving them. They look pretty cozy to me."

Before Serena could respond, Caroline looked over at them. Serena could see that Caroline really did like Alex, and it worked out well considering she was itching to get away with Bernie. Wordlessly, they agreed that the end of their relationship had arrived, but only because they had feelings for someone else. Both women smiled, then turned away returning to their conversations.

"Well, Bernie, I believe that I'm now a free woman which only leaves you to decide which of us you want."

Bernie smirked before walking over to where Caroline and Alex were sitting, leaning down to whisper in Alex's ear, "I really like Serena."

Alex replied, "I really like Caroline. Are we over?"

"Yes, I believe so… Is that okay?"

"Yeah… Yeah, of course. See you around, Major."

Bernie stood up to find Serena staring at her with a peculiar expression on her face **(A/N: Can anyone guess why? ;D)**. Bernie watched as Serena's eyes slowly trailed up her body until they reached her eyes. She sashayed over to Serena, never taking her eyes off of her. When she reached the bar, she ordered two bottles of Shiraz, took Serena's hand and led her away from the bar to a table on the opposite side of the bar, away from Alex and Caroline. Bernie wanted to get to know Serena again, she wanted to try again.

A few hours (and many more bottles of shiraz) later, Serena and Bernie were completely drunk. By this time, Alex and Caroline had left and the bar was almost empty. Serena was giggling at the joke that Bernie just made, despite the fact that it wasn't funny when the bell for last orders rang.

"Oh, God. Have we really been drinking for this long?" asked Serena, slurring her words, slightly.

"I do believe so, Fraulein," replied Bernie. "I think it's time that I took you home."

"Okay. On one condition…"

"That is?"

"You stay with me."

Bernie looked at Serena with wide eyes, shocked at Serena's forwardness. She nodded anyway, following Serena out of Albies and to her car. Once there, Bernie made to unlock the car, but instead felt hands grab her waist to turn her around so she was pressed against the cool metal of the car. Bernie stared at Serena who was slowly closing the gap between them, her hands wrapping themselves around Bernie's neck, pulling their bodies together. Bernie was trembling with anticipation, waiting for Serena to make her move. Serena leaned in closer to Bernie, pausing just before their lips touched. She whispered, "Your move, Major."

Bernie looked deep into Serena's dark brown eyes, before closing the gap and kissing Serena, hard. Bernie moaned. She was so glad to finally be able to kiss Serena again. She had been wanting to familiarize herself with Serena's after all this time and she finally could. At that point, Serena made a delicious sound at the back of her throat before teasing Bernie with her tongue. Bernie deepened the kiss, allowing their tongues to battle strongly against one another.

Slowly, and reluctantly, both women pulled away, resting their foreheads against one another. "It's time to get you home Fraulein," said Bernie, leading Serena around to the passenger's door before opening it to let her in. She hurried round to her side of the car, getting in and quickly starting the car. She was glad that the pub was so close to Serena's house as it meant that there was little time to wait.

When they reached Serena's house, they had only made it to the door before Serena was all over Bernie. She found herself roughly pressed against the door, with the handle digging into the small of her back. Bernie moaned, and pulled Serena closer to her regardless of the pain she felt in her back. They only parted when the need for air became too much. "I think we should take this inside," Serena said, her voice dripping with lust. Bernie nodded, moving away from the door, while Serena hurriedly unlocked it. Bernie literally kicked the door closed after her, following Serena in anticipation over what would come next. To Bernie's surprise, Serena led her straight to her bedroom and onto the bed. She pushed Bernie onto the bed, straddling her. Serena leant down, kissing Bernie roughly.

As much as Bernie wanted her, she knew that Serena wasn't ready, regardless of the signals. She knew that everything that could happen tonight would be under the influence of alcohol. She just couldn't take advantage of Serena like this. She pushed Serena off of her to sit on the edge of the bed, eyes fixed on the floor. Serena stared at her, wondering why she had pulled away. She sat up and moved closer to Bernie, wrapping her arms around her, trying to coax her to kiss her. Bernie stood up abruptly, turning to look at Serena, feeling extremely guilty.

"Serena, we can't do this tonight. We've both had too much to drink and I feel like I would be taking advantage of you," Bernie said.

"Bernie, I want this. I want you. I am old enough to decide who I want and when, regardless of how much I've had to drink," Serena replied, slurring her words.

"I don't think you are, Serena. You've been slurring your words for the past hour and a half and you could barely walk through your house without stumbling. I'm not going to take advantage of you when you might regret it in the morning."

"But – "

"No, Serena. I won't do it. Believe me, I want you, too, but I just can't do it. I'm sorry."

Bernie looked over to Serena, who had fallen asleep on her shoulder. She smiled, before moving Serena into a lying position, covering her with the duvet. She leaned down and kissed Serena on the forehead, whispering, "Goodnight, my love." She crossed the room, turned off the light and pulled the door closed. She crossed the landing and headed to Serena's guest room, where she collapsed on the bed and fell asleep almost immediately just thinking about Serena and their future.

* * *

 _ **Bernie was standing in the middle of the battlefield. There were small fires burning all around her. Looking around her, she saw two people – Serena to her left and Alex to her right. The path to Alex was devoid of any fires, but the path to Serena was littered with small, raging fires. She looked to Alex who had a hand outstretched, beckoning Bernie to her, then she looked at Serena, who was staring at her with a fierce look in her eyes. Bernie looked back to Alex…**_

 _ **The path to Alex was so easy, but the way to Serena was so much more difficult. Bernie had to make the choice between what was right and what was easy. She hesitantly turned towards Alex, who smiled in response. She took 5 steps forward before stopping completely. 'This isn't what I want. I don't want Alex any longer. I made my choice… I want Serena.' Bernie thought, smiling slightly at Alex, before turning her back to her and facing Serena.**_

" _ **Serena," she whispered. She approached the cobblestone path to Serena, where the first fire was. She raised her voice slightly. 'How am I going to get through this?'**_

" _ **Just walk through it, darling," said Serena, in a soft, calm voice.**_

" _ **What? But it'll burn me."**_

" _ **Trust me. It won't."**_

 _ **Bernie looked deep into Serena's eyes and could see that she was telling the truth. She lifted one foot over the flames and lowered it carefully. The flames licked her foot, but she only felt a slight tingling sensation. She placed her foot firmly into the fire and stepped over the flames with her other one. Bernie looked up to see Serena smiling at her, encouraging her. Bernie hurried to the next fire and repeated the process.**_

 _ **She looked up once again, expecting to see Serena standing and waiting for her. Instead, Serena smirked, "You ran away from me once. Now it's my turn."**_

" _ **Serena! Wait! Please?"**_

 _ **Serena smirked again and turned her back, beginning to walk away. She paused, and said, "I wouldn't bother trying to return the way you came. Once you pass those fires, they become deadly."  
Serena turned around again, before beginning to walk away, laughing wickedly. **_

Bernie awoke with a start, looking around the bedroom, thanking God that she wasn't on that battlefield any longer. She sat up and ran her hands through her hair. Bernie looked to the clock, checking the time; It showed that it was only 3am. She stood up slowly, tiptoeing out of her bedroom and over the landing to where she knew Serena was sleeping. She quietly opened the door, and crossed the room crouching next to Serena's bed. She reached over and brushed the fringe off Serena's forehead. ' _What did I do to deserve you, Serena Campbell,_ ' she thought. ' _God, I love you even if I'm not brave enough to say it._ ' Bernie stood up, and walked back out of the room. When she reached the door, she turned and looked at Serena once more, before turning around and closing the door. She returned to the quest room where she spent the rest of the night dreaming only sweet dreams.

* * *

 **A/N: Once again, this isn't the end of the story. There is still more to go on this story, a few more plot twists, and mention of a few more characters. If you want to, you can leave me a review on how you think the story is going so far, but if you don't want to, that's okay, too.**


	5. The Day After(ish)

**A/N: Okay, so before you read this story, I have to point out a discretion in the previous chapter. Here goes… So I updated the last chapter and I got a review on it. This review asked me the most obvious question:** Why are two surgeons who know better drink driving? **I read this and I immediately thought, why didn't I think about that? The reason is that Bernie and Serena weren't thinking… and needless to say, neither was I.**

 **But, I'm not going to change it because the story flows better with that little oversight still in it.**

* * *

Serena groaned as her alarm sounded, before rolling over and turning it off. She sat up carefully, her head pounding. Looking down, she saw that she had fallen asleep in the clothes she was wearing the previous day. She wasn't surprised as it definitely wasn't the first time. She crossed the room to her en suite, where she turned on the shower. She slowly peeled off her clothing before getting in the shower, basking in the warm water that hit her body. However, she couldn't spend too much time in there as she needed to get to work early. After drying off, Serena got dressed, slipping on a simple pair of black pants and her favourite orange blouse, before picking up her shoes and making her way downstairs into the kitchen.

Serena flicked the kettle on, before turning around to make some toast. By the time her bread had finished toasting, the kettle had also finished boiling, so she set about making her breakfast and coffee at the same time. She took that to the small table in the corner of her kitchen. What startled her though, was a bump that came from the top of her stairs. She froze, her toast already halfway to her mouth. Who could have been in her house at this time of the morning? The sound of heavy steps on the stairs got closer and closer, until she heard the final step on the landing. Serena stood up and turned around slowly, to see Bernie Wolfe standing in her kitchen. To say that she was surprised would be an understatement. They both stood rooted to the spot, not moving, just staring at one another.

"Ummm… What – What are you doing here?" Serena asked.

"You don't remember?" Bernie looked crestfallen.

"The last thing I remember was sitting in Albies with Caroline. What happened?"

"Well, let's just say that you and Caroline and me and Alex are no longer together. More or less, there's been a little role reversal."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Caroline and Alex decided that they'd rather have each other. And you and I definitely didn't disagree, because I decided to finally be brave. I told you that I wanted you, all of you. I think I may have crossed a line in my little speech, but I can't remember and you didn't seem too against it, rather the opposite."  
"We didn't… umm… We didn't do anything did we?"

"Nothing that you should regret. Although you did give me quite the snogging, at the car, and at your front door and in your bed," Bernie laughed. "But, it didn't go any further than that because I didn't want to take advantage of you or do something that you'd regret. It seems I did the right thing because here we are, talking about last night, you hoping that nothing happened."

"Well, it would certainly seem so. You actually said that? And meant it?"  
"Yeah. Of course I meant it. I want you. I'm so tired of trying to deny that. I know that I don't deserve you and that I've hurt you so badly, but I need you. I didn't realise it when I was with Alex, because I had someone to distract and love me. But I feel like I suffocate when you're not around. I feel like I'm not getting any air. You're my oxygen, the one thing I live for every day. I only hope that you feel the same way?"

"Let me get this straight. You buggered off to Kiev, and returned to find that I'd moved on. I was an utter cow to you, causing you to move on as well. Then, just last night, we both realised that we didn't want our respective partners and instead wanted each other. Then we end up at my house, where I pretty much offer myself to you on a silver platter and you decline, doing the noble thing. And now you're asking me if I feel the same way? Bernie, you foolish woman. Of course I do! If I hadn't then I wouldn't have ended things with Caroline. Which I'm assuming was mutual? Anyway, Bernie, obviously I feel the same way about you. When you first returned, I just wanted my best friend back, but now it's so clear to me. That longing wasn't just for my best friend… It was for the one that I – "

Bernie couldn't wait any longer. She lunged towards Serena effectively silencing her. She leant in to Serena staring into those big, brown eyes that she loved with all her heart. Her eyes fluttered shut when their lips finally met. She knew at that moment that these were the lips she was meant to kiss, that this was the woman who had her heart the whole time, that she never wanted to let go of Serena again. Serena was the one to pull away, albeit reluctantly. They stood there for a while, in each other's arms, staring into each other's eyes and swaying to music that only they could hear.

Realising that this wasn't productive, Serena untangled herself from Bernie's tight embrace, "I have to get ready for work."

"Shit! Me too," Bernie checked her watch. "I don't have time to go home and get ready. This may seem like a big ask, but can I borrow a shirt, please? I can't go to work in the same things as yesterday. I promise that I'll go home during lunch and change – "

"Bernie, calm down. Of course you can borrow one of my shirts. I should have one that could look like one of yours. And I wouldn't bother going home to change considering you're inviting me around for dinner tonight, it would be a waste of time. Before you ask, yes you can use my shower as well. There are some towels in the cupboard opposite the bathroom. And when you're finished, I'll have a cup of coffee ready to go."  
"Thank you, Serena. You really are wonderful."

"Okay, now hurry up and get ready or we'll be late. On the double, soldier."

Serena watched Bernie hurry up the stairs, before following her and going to her own bedroom. She rifled through her clothing to find the most 'Bernie' shirt she owned, which just so happened to be a navy button down shirt. She set it out in the guest bedroom, then headed straight back down to finish her breakfast and make Bernie the cup of coffee she promised. As Serena finished the last bite of her toast, Bernie came back down the stairs and gratefully took a large swig of the coffee on the counter.

Five minutes later, both women were in Bernie's car on the way to Holby. However, the car ride wasn't comfortable. It was tense and filled with an exceptionally awkward silence. The only contact that Bernie and Serena shared were the shy glances they were giving each other. On the rare occasion that their eyes would meet, both women would blush and look away immediately.

When they arrived at the hospital, after what seemed like an age, Bernie reached for Serena's hand. But, Serena pulled her hand away immediately under the guise of fixing her hair. Bernie made sure to walk further away from Serena, while keeping her gaze at the ground. Serena glanced over, and upon seeing Bernie's forlorn expression grasped Bernie's wrist and led her to the Peace Garden.

"Bernie, I'm sorry. We need to keep our personal lives and professional lives separate. We mustn't join the two," Serena stuttered.

"Why?" Bernie asked.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, 'why'. Why must we split our lives into two separate parts, which, by the way wouldn't be an equal split, considering it would be professional versus personal, where we can still talk professional. I don't want my life to be kept separate, when I can have one life with you in it constantly."

Serena watched as Bernie walked away from her, not even giving her a second glance. Serena, however just stared after her, shocked. How could something that seemed so easy at first become so complicated? Why couldn't Bernie realise that it was for the best? Serena started before heading straight into the hospital and into Pulses. She ordered a coffee for herself and for Bernie, before heading up to AAU, where it was absolute mayhem. Serena sighed before heading straight to the Nurses Station to begin her hard day's work.

* * *

The only thought on Bernie's mind was coffee. She'd been running around the ward, desperately avoiding Serena. She felt guilty over how she talked to her that morning. She should have kept her big mouth shut. It would have made today so much easier. Even without the awkward energy that was between them at the moment as a result of last night. Bernie really needed coffee… Running around a ward and avoiding one Serena Campbell was a tough job. One that she was not sure she could do for much longer. She needed coffee… She was getting coffee.

Bernie was urging the lift to go faster, to get her to Pulses faster. She was bouncing on her toes with anticipation; she could almost taste the coffee. Finally, the doors opened, leaving the rich aroma of coffee to tease Bernie's senses. She froze however, when she heard a familiar voice place a familiar order. "Double shot latte, thanks." ' _Fuck,_ ' Bernie thought. The game was up. She had to face Serena now. Or she could just go back up to AAU. ' _But, coffee,_ ' Bernie's rather unhelpful subconscious told her. Bernie sighed. She knew that she would have to face Serena at some point in the day. She just hoped she would have her wits about her when she did.

Bernie rolled her eyes. Serena Campbell always had the most impeccable timing. Bernie resigned herself to the fact that she would have to be near Serena. She would have to keep cool, calm and collected. She exited the lift and strode over to Pulses. She ordered (unsurprisingly) the exact same coffee that Serena ordered. If she was going to have to talk to Serena, then they should at least be on a level playing field. Besides, she really needed the caffeine.

Serena saw Bernie approach the cash register and order her coffee. It was the first time that she'd seen Bernie pretty much all morning. She really needed to talk to Bernie and explain what she said. She decided she wold wait until their coffees had arrived to do that though. Luckily for Serena, it didn't take too long for that time to come. "Roof. Now," Serena ordered. Bernie meekly followed Serena. She wasn't stupid… When Serena Campbell tells you to do something you do it, no questions asked, especially if she was in a bad mood.

When they reached the roof, Serena led Bernie straight to the edge on the far side. She stared into the distance, Bernie following suit. She said, "You know, I used to come up here when things got tough with mother."

"Oh?" Bernie was curious.

"It's so quiet and away from the bustling of the hospital."

"I quite agree. Serena, what are we doing up here?"

"We need to talk. About this morning."

"Serena, look, I'm sorry for what I said. It was out of order. I should have respected your wishes, instead of trying to force you to come round to my way of thinking."

"Bernie, there's no need for apologies on your part. It's me who should be apologising to you. I tried to order you about, saying that we should keep our professional and personal lives separate. It's ludicrous. It's all one life, it can't be separated. There has to be a crossover."

"No. Honestly, I should have kept my big mouth shut, but good old Big Macho Army Medic here had to put her foot in it. I'm sorry."

"You, my Big Macho Army Medic, have the tendency to put your foot in it at the most inopportune times, but this morning was not one of them. This morning was all my fault. No, Don't interrupt me, Berenice. I shouldn't want to hide the fact that I'm with you. I don't want to hide it. I was scared this morning, I don't know what of or why, because as long as I have my Big Macho Army Medic by my side, then I know everything is going to be alright."

"My God Serena. You really do know how to woo a girl don't you? How do you do it, Serena? How do you make me fall head over heels for you every time?"

Serena didn't reply verbally, she just turned toward Bernie who was now facing her. She pulled Bernie in, slowly, before softly kissing her. The kiss became quite intense, the passion and heat rising, before they both parted, although neither really wanted to, but they needed oxygen. They stood together in a loose embrace, staring into one another's eyes. Neither wanted this moment to end. Their moment was unfortunately ruined by Serena's pager, saying that they were both needed on AAU.

* * *

It had been a month since Bernie and Serena had decided that they didn't care who knew about their relationship. They hadn't done anything to hide that fact or to suggest that there was something going on between them. They both frequently disappeared off the ward however, without letting anyone know where they had gone, or how long they would be gone for.

One afternoon, Bernie and Serena were sharing a morning tea break on the roof, when Serena got a call. She just murmured her understanding before turning to Bernie, "We're needed back on AAU, as usual.

"We never get a break, do we?" Bernie replied.

"No. That is true, but this is a hospital and we are an impeccable team, so we must go and deal with the children."

Bernie laughed. Serena had always seen the staff on AAU as children, and seen herself and Bernie as mother hens. Bernie, however saw herself and Serena as the Majors and the rest as their recruits. But she never mentioned this to Serena as she didn't want an argument. Serena lent Bernie a hand which she took gratefully before they slowly descended the stairs.

As soon as Bernie and Serena arrived on AAU, Fletch called them over, "We've had a trauma call. Woman, about mid 40s been hit by a bus. ETA, 5 minutes."

Both women nodded their understanding before moving away to prepare. Five minutes later, Bernie and Serena met the gurney at the ward doors. Looking down on the bed, Serena gasped, "Caroline…"

* * *

 **A/N: How's that for a cliffhanger? By the way, I realised as I was writing this that Caroline is basically Robbie… Not in the sense that she's got his personality, but the way I'm writing this story, it kind of makes sense that they could be the same character. Here's why:**

 **1) They both play an important part in Serena's life before Bernie,**

 **2) They both leave Serena**

 **3) They both return because of their health**


	6. An Old Flame Returns

AN OLD FLAME RETURNS

Bernie followed the patient into the Trauma Unit, but realised that her partner in crime hadn't followed. She turned around to find Serena rooted to the spot, staring into the middle distance. Bernie quickly gave her Trauma team instructions for the patient before rushing over to Serena. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"The patient… It's Caroline," Serena whispered, eyes full of tears.

"As in, your ex Caroline. Alex's now girlfriend, Caroline?"

Serena nodded.

"Oh, Serena. Are you okay to treat her, or do you want to give this one a miss?"

"I think I'll be okay to treat her."

"Let's go, then."

It took Bernie a bit of effort to coax Serena to the patient. It was chaos in there. The nurses and junior doctors were running around, panicking. Bernie loudly cleared her throat causing everyone to stop, "Here we have Caroline Scott, 46 years of age. She had a rather nasty collision with a bus, causing her to be brought here, unconscious with extensive injuries. Now, I want her straight into theatre where Ms Campbell and I will perform surgery to try and repair the internal damage. Nurses Fletcher, Brown and Thomas, scrub in. The rest of you, clear up in here and take care of the ward in Ms Campbell's and my absence. Everyone understand? Good. Dismissed."

Every single person in the room moved immediately as soon as Bernie spoke her final word. It appeared that Serena Campbell wasn't the only person who people listened to without question. Bernie led Serena into the operating theatre to scrub in. As soon as they reached the sink, Serena transformed into a professional surgeon once again. She knew there was a difficult task ahead and she knew she needed to concentrate in order to do it. Serena detached herself completely from the situation in order to do her job properly. She followed Bernie to the operating table where the patient was laying.

Bernie made the initial incision in Caroline's abdomen. Opening her up, both Bernie and Serena noticed extensive damage. At first glance, the surgeons saw that she had 4 broken ribs, 3 more fractured, her left lung had been slightly punctured, her heart hadn't been damaged at all (which they thanked their lucky stars for), but her liver had been severely damaged and one of her kidneys was beyond repair. Bernie and Serena shared a look before diving straight in, tackling Caroline's ribs and lungs first. They found the rib that had punctured the lung, removed it and set all the ribs back into place. "Nurse Brown, keep an eye on the patients left lung please. Make sure it doesn't collapse or start to bleed, thank you," Serena ordered. They moved down to Caroline's abdomen where they repaired most of her liver, removed one of her kidneys, salvaged the other one and checked for any other damage. There weren't any further issues internally, so they decided to close.

Bernie and Serena made sure to give Caroline another examination, before removing her from the theatre. Both women removed their surgical gloves and gowns, down to their scrubs before returning to the sink to scrub out. Bernie distractedly washed her hands, pausing when she heard a soft whimper. Worried, she immediately turned her attention to Serena whose face was streaked with tears and her eyes filled with those that remained unshed. Bernie didn't worry about her wet hands, she just gathered Serena into a tight embrace, whispering nonsensical things like, 'it's okay' and 'she'll be fine'. Unbeknownst to Serena, Bernie also shed a few tears as she was comforting her. 5 minutes later, Serena pulled away slightly from Bernie's embrace, before leaning in once again, giving Bernie a soft kiss. "Thank you," Serena whispered, hoarsely. Bernie only smiled before pulling Serena back into her arms.

Serena stood up, wiping away the remainder of her tears, before finishing her scrub out. She smiled at Bernie, still on the floor, before returning to the ward, intent on hiding in her office under the guise of finishing paperwork. She entered the office and closed the blinds. This was a moment that she didn't want anyone seeing. She reached into her desk drawer, pulling out not a bottle of shiraz but a bottle of the finest whiskey she could find. This drink was one that she saved for extremely hard days. She cracked it open, pouring a large glass of the hard liquor. As she took her first sip, Bernie burst into the office, causing Serena to jump and spill half her glass on her scrubs. "Oh God, Serena, I'm so sorry. I'll get you a new set of scrubs," Bernie apologised, trying to dry Serena's clothing with a tissue.

Serena batted Bernie's hands away, "It's okay Bernie. Don't worry. You forget that I don't live in my scrubs like you. I'll just change into my other clothes."

Serena reached into that same desk drawer to grab the clothes she arrived in that morning. She removed her soaked shirt, before she froze, remembering exactly where she was and who was in the room with her. She heard the door lock, before turning around looking at Bernie whose eyes hadn't left Serena's body. Serena watched as Bernie's gaze moved up her body, resisting the urge to cover herself up. She cocked an eyebrow, catching Bernie's eyes when they finally reached their face.

"Enjoying the view?" Serena flirted.

Bernie didn't answer, she just licked her lips and walked towards Serena. She didn't stop until she'd pushed Serena against the wall, pushing their bodies together. Bernie leant in to Serena, passionately capturing Serena's lips. She felt Serena's arms wrap themselves around her neck. At that point she decided to take a chance and swipe her tongue across Serena's bottom lip. Surprisingly, Serena moaned into the kiss, meeting Bernie's tongue with her own. Their tongues battled for dominance for a few minutes before Bernie pulled away, realising how inappropriate the whole situation was. She stepped away from Serena, "Sorry, I'll just let you get changed. Excuse me." She turned her back to Serena, not once looking back.

Serena remained against the wall, breathing heavily, surprised at what had just happened. She, Serena Campbell, topless and aroused in her office being snogged by an equally aroused Bernie. She gave a little laugh, before quickly pulling her blouse on. As soon as Serena finished dressing, she traipsed quietly over to Bernie. She wrapped her arms around her hips, purring, "That was quite the demonstration, Major. Care to repeat it sometime?"

Bernie stammered, "S-s-serena?"

"Turn around."

"What?"

"Turn around. I want to look at your face, not your back."

Bernie silently turned around in Serena's arms, eyeing her quizzically.

"Bernie, that was highly inappropriate – "

"Serena, I'm sorry. It won't ever happen again, I promise. It was a spur of the moment thing." She was silenced by a hand covering her mouth.

"Let me finish, Berenice. What you did was highly inappropriate but I can't say that I didn't enjoy it. It was the most wonderful, thing to ever happen in this office, I can assure you. But we both have jobs to do, so we'll have to postpone this for later, okay?"

"Okay. Serena, I'm sorry."

"What for? I told you I enjoyed it, didn't I?"

"Well, yes, but I feel like I've taken advantage of you after a tough day."

"Believe me, you didn't. It was a rather lovely distraction. I've just discovered something though."

"What's that?"

Serena gestured to the whiskey bottle, "I don't need this anymore, I've got you now. You always put me in a good mood regardless of the shit day I've had or what mood I'm in."

Bernie lowered her gaze slightly, embarrassed. What she didn't initially realise was that this gave her the perfect view of Serena's chest. Her cheeks flushed once again, but not in embarrassment.

Serena saw this and smirked, "Eyes front, soldier. Now I have a very important question for you."

"Really?"

"Yep. Do you want to make us official? As in, tell our little AAU family that you are my girlfriend."

"I'd like nothing more."

Bernie moved a hand to cradle the back of Serena's head. Pulling Serena closer, Bernie once again kissed her, chaste, yet passionate. Bernie pulled away, resting her forehead on Serena's, "Do you want to tell them now?"

"May as well get it over with."

"Are you sure this is what you want, Serena?"

"Yes. So much. I don't want to hide this, us any longer. Are you sure it's what you want?"

"Of course. I hate hiding the fact that there is an us."

Bernie stepped away from Serena, reaching over to open the blinds. Serena took one look at the half-empty glass of whiskey before tossing it straight into the bin, along with the bottle. Bernie stared, wide-eyed at what she'd done. She hadn't quite expected Serena to be so certain about that. Bernie shook her head, pulling herself from her mind. She stepped toward Serena once again, this time reaching a hand out to her. Serena grasped it tightly, allowing herself to be pulled from the office.

Bernie stopped leading Serena when they reached the Nurses Station. She cleared her throat, "Can I have all the staff to the Nurses Station in 5 minutes? Thank you!" Bernie looked to Serena, nervous for the first time that day. This was the first time in her life that she could actually announce her love to the world. She was excited but anxious that their little Holby family wouldn't accept them.

5 minutes had passed, and all the AAU staff had assembled at the Nurses Station, looking to each other with confusion. Bernie and Serena stood up, looking nervous as hell, but they knew they had to do this. Serena started, "Umm… thanks for taking time out of your day to be here. I know that you are all very busy, but Ms Wolfe and I have a little announcement to make." Serena faltered here, she was too nervous to continue.

She looked at Bernie who took over straight away, "Yes, well, we have two announcements. Firstly, about the trauma patient that arrived today. She came in with extensive injuries to her abdomen and two of her limbs. However, she is in a stable condition following the surgery performed by Ms Campbell and myself. She is currently in one of the side rooms recovering from her injuries. Any questions?"

A low murmur followed this, which Bernie took as the negative response. Bernie nodded as she struggled to find a way to continue to the second announcement. She looked over at Serena, pleadingly, so Serena cleared her throat and soldiered on (pardon the pun).

Serena continued, awkwardly, "Right, so… umm… our second announcement is somewhat personal, so it is a little difficult. Okay, Ms Wolfe – Bernie – and I have been seeing each other for a while. We thought we should tell you lot, considering we see you as family. So, umm, yes, Bernie is my girlfriend, but it won't change anything. Anyone have any questions?"

The staff shared shocked looks, however by the silence that met the announcement, Bernie and Serena decided that this meant the negative. The silence was only broken by Raf, who started a chant, 'kiss, kiss, kiss'. Serena looked toward a blushing Bernie, "Shall we give them a show?"

Without an answer, Bernie just pulled Serena by the neck into a short, yet sweet kiss. Neither woman wanted to pull away, but they also didn't want their staff to see too much. The whole ward burst into a round of cheering applause for both women. Raf and Fletch approached them, giving them hugs, saying, "We knew that there was something going on, but we just didn't know what."

Bernie, embarrassed, left the Nurses station first, heading straight to one of the many patients she had seen that morning. Serena, however stayed behind for a few minutes to answer the questions and accept the congratulations from the staff, before shouting, "All right, back to work!" Everyone scattered immediately, causing Serena to smirk. She caught Bernie's eye before winking and turning toward the office. She needed to get through some almost overdue paperwork.


	7. When She Wakes

Bernie made her way over to Caroline to check how she was. It had been a few days since surgery. Making her observations, she noticed that her blood pressure was a little high, but everything else was fine. Quickly jotting that down in the file, Bernie left the bed to work on other patients. However, she quickly changed her mind when she saw Serena, asking, "Do you want me to pop down to Pulses and get you a coffee?"

Softly smiling, Serena replied, "That'd be lovely, thanks."

Bernie quickly grabbed her purse and headed to the elevator. She waited impatiently for the lift and when it finally came, she was stopped once again on her quest by a shout, "Hold the lift!" Immediately, Bernie held her arm out to hold the door, watching as Fletch ran in. She rolled her eyes. She had been avoiding Fletch and Raf ever since she and Serena had announced their relationship. She could just tell that Fletch would make smart-arse comments, and she really didn't want to hear them.

"So, you and Serena?" Fletch said, conversationally.

"Yep," Bernie replied, a little annoyed.

"Have I done something to upset you, Bernie?"

"No, I'm just not in a very good mood."

"Why? Not getting any?"

Bernie saw red, and lunged at Fletch, saying, "Hospital or no hospital, I will punch you in the face if you so much as think of a smart-arse comment about Serena and I. It's none of your business, anyway." Bernie let go, immediately feeling guilty. She stepped to the other side of the elevator.

"Bernie, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just making a joke. I realise that it's been almost three months since your return and Serena has never been happier. But I do have one thing to say to you. Don't hurt her. Understood?"

"Huh?"

"I just don't want to see Serena hurt again. When you left, she was moping around the ward, until Ms Scott arrived. I assumed that when you returned, things would return to normal, but I saw the pain in Serena's eyes every time you walked away from her or when she walked away from you. It didn't seem worth it. But then the look changed. It was one of contentment. I never want to see that pain because of you again, okay? That's all there is to it."

"Okay. I promise you that I'll do my best to try not to hurt her."

"And if I do make smart-arse comments about you two, it's because I can see that you're happy. If I don't then that's when you have to worry."

Fletch left the lift with a solemn glance at Bernie. Bernie stood there, rooted to the spot, thinking about what Fletch had just told her. She had never noticed it before, how protective Fletch was of Serena. She stared blankly at the closed doors of the lift, thinking, _'I swear, if I ever hurt Serena again, I will personally kick my own arse. I love her and I don't want to be the cause of her pain ever again.'_ The doors opened again, and Bernie strode purposefully out, heading straight to Pulses.

She stood in the line, impatiently. She had forgotten how busy Pulses was during the day. She wished that she hadn't gone down now, even though she was desperate for coffee. A familiar figure stepped in line behind her. She turned around to see Sacha Levy, his usual relaxed expression on his face. He glanced down at Bernie, "Tough morning?"

"Tough few days, more like." Bernie replied.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Well, one of our Trauma patients happens to be my current girlfriend's ex-girlfriend. I thought – no, I hoped – we'd never see her again, but it appears that Fate has different plans for me."

"Ah, yes I've heard about you and Serena," he noticed Bernie's surprised face. "The porters talk, you should know that, Bernie."

"Yeah, sorry I'd forgotten about the effectiveness of the Holby rumour mill."

"Well, it never ceases to amaze me. But, I do believe that congratulations are in order."

"Thanks Sacha. You know, I don't think that this line will ever move."

"Well, patience is a very important virtue. It will move eventually; you just have to wait a while. Especially at this time of day."

"I wouldn't have bothered, but I'm craving the coffee, so it might just be worth it."

"Well, I'm craving a chocolate muffin, so that's why I'm waiting. And Essie wants an herbal tea, so I'm kind of the messenger, here."

"Oh, finally," Bernie exclaimed as the line finally moved. She was closer to the front, and as usual she was getting even more antsy upon her approach.

A few minutes later, Bernie finally ordered and collected the coffees, and was on the way back up to AAU. She couldn't believe how much time she had wasted just by standing in that stupid queue. She took a long sip of her coffee, closing her eyes appreciatively as the warm liquid ran down her throat. The long wait seemed worth it at that point. Arriving on AAU, Bernie went straight to the office where she knew Serena would be. She gave Serena the coffee, along with a quick kiss on the cheek.

Watching Bernie leave, Serena took a long gulp of her coffee, almost immediately regretting it as the hot liquid burned her throat. She began spluttering violently, and wanting to calm herself, she tried to muffle the coughs which only made them more violent. Deciding that her attempts were to no avail, Serena waited until her coughing fit had ceased, before continuing to complete her paperwork. Only 10 minutes later, Serena decided that she had had enough of paperwork for one morning. As she left the office, Serena looked around the ward for something to do. Her eye caught on the side room where Caroline currently was. Serena strode over to the room, entering and picking up the file. She read the previous entries, before deciding to make her own observations, stating that everything seemed normal. Suddenly, Serena noticed a spike in Caroline's blood pressure which seemed odd considering it had been normal a moment ago.

Quickly moving around the bed to the side nearest the door, Serena watched as Caroline began moving, groaning as she woke up. Serena went to shout for Bernie, before she heard a faint, yet urgent, "Serena!" Immediately stopping in her tracks and turning around, Serena made her way back to the bed. She sat down, watching as the woman slowly began to wake up. Unsure of what would be best in the situation, Serena decided to wait until Caroline was completely awake, before explaining the situation to her. Serena was once again shocked when she heard another urgent, "Serena!" fall from Caroline's lips.

Making a quick decision (purely for medical reasons of course), Serena stood over Caroline, stroking her head comfortingly, whispering "I'm here," over and over again. Slowly, but surely Caroline began to calm down, before waking up completely. Very quickly, Caroline woke, leaning into Serena's hand, moaning as she shook off the effects of the coma. As Serena made to move away, Caroline grasped her hand, effectively stopping her movements. Caroline opened her eyes, looking deep into Serena's own. A few moments had passed, before Serena pulled away and moved back around to the end of the bed.

Once she cleared her throat, Serena began to explain what had happened, "You were brought in four days ago after a minor accident with a bus. You had extensive damage to your abdomen, including four broken ribs, an extra three fractured, a punctured lung, damaged liver and kidney. Ms Wolfe and I performed your surgery and we repaired most of the damage except your kidney which was damaged beyond repair. We out you in a coma and obviously you've only just woken up. Is there anything else you'd like to know?" When she'd finished, she pulled out Caroline's medical file, entering the current information she had gathered.

Caroline thought for a moment, before answering, "You said a bus?"

"Yep."

"How am I still alive?"

"Well it would seem that the collision was only minor, meaning that you survived the ordeal and surgery."

"Serena – "

"It's Ms Campbell."

"Serena, really… Is that how you're going to treat me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm treating you like any other patient. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other patients to attend." Serena left the room.

Deciding that she needed air, Serena quickly grabbed Bernie's hoodie before heading up to the roof. She made quick work of the stairs, opening the heavy door to the roof, and walking out taking deep breaths. She knew that having Caroline on the ward would be difficult for her, but she didn't realise just how hard it would be. Serena crossed over to the ledge of the roof, leaning against the railing, just watching the world below her. Her mind was racing with thoughts of Caroline, the time they had together, Bernie, what they have, and the moment that Caroline woke up. They just went round and round, until they jumbled together, confusing Serena more and more. She could barely stand it. She wanted to scream, cry and laugh all at the same time. Instead, she just stood there breathing deeply, trying to calm her racing mind.

It had been about five minutes since Serena got to the roof. She had managed to calm her mind enough to be able to gather herself and return to the ward. She was just about to leave the railing, for the door, when her pager went off, alerting her that she was needed on AAU anyway. Chuckling at the comic timing, Serena rushed back down to the ward where she was met by another trauma case. Quickly scrubbing in, she got briefed by Bernie before they headed into theatre once again.

* * *

Serena left theatre, feeling relieved that they'd saved the patient. Her intentions were to head to the office and complete the paperwork she had been doing that morning, but her attempts were stopped by Fletch, who told her that Caroline had been asking for her. Rolling her eyes, Serena changed her direction, instead moving towards the side room where Caroline surely was. She looked through the glass window in the door, seeing that Caroline was laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Serena quietly opened the door, slipping quickly into the room, closing the door firmly behind her. She saw Caroline's attention turn to her, before gesturing to the seat beside the bed.

Sighing, Serena approached the chair and sat heavily in the chair, before staring at Caroline. A few moments later, Serena gave Caroline a pointed look, obviously wanting her to say why she wanted to see her. When Caroline didn't say anything, Serena huffed, saying, "What do you want, Caroline? You said you wanted to see me."

"Yes, I did," Caroline replied, cautiously.

"Well? What do you want?"

"Honestly?"

"What do you think?"

"Quite simply… I want us to be together again."

"What?"

"I want you. I want you and me. I want us."

"Are you mad?! We are finished… We are over. We have been for months. And now after all this time, after the accident, after the surgery, you come out and tell me that's what you want?"

"Yes."

"I have to go. I'm sorry."

"You never said you didn't want me back."

"Well, consider it said."

Serena stood up, ready to leave the room, before she said something she regretted. However, she was stopped when Caroline, reached out and grabbed her wrist, her other arm extending to reach out to Serena's other arm. She looked up at Serena, silently begging her not to go. Giving in, Serena didn't move, waiting until Caroline let her go. Eventually, she did, but not before asking her to elevate her bad so that she was in a sitting position. Once the task had been completed, Serena once again sat down, once again waiting for Caroline to speak.

"Honestly, I just want you back in my life," Caroline started. "If it's only friendship that you can offer, that's fine, but honestly, I still have feelings for you."

"What about Alex?"

"What about her?"

"You're together aren't you?"

"Well, not officially. We've been dating, but apart from that, we haven't made things official."

"That doesn't mean you two aren't involved."

"Serena – "

"I don't get it. You have Alex, who is really attracted to you, and you to her, but you come here, and try to start things back up with me. You know that's not right by any means."

"I do know that, but I can't help the way I feel."

"Perhaps not, but there's no reason for you to act on your feelings either."

"Please don't be like that Serena."

"Fine. Now, I actually have to go because I have work to do."

"Okay. But can I have one last hug, please?"

Without an answer, Serena leaned in to give Caroline a hug. She felt Caroline hold her tightly, as if she didn't want to let go. When she tried to pull back, Caroline held her tighter for a moment before slackening her grip slightly. She reached one had to Serena's cheek, brushing it softly, before pulling her closer once again. But this time, it wasn't a hug. This time, Caroline pulled Serena close to her for a kiss. Lips met tenderly, moving together slowly before Caroline decided to deepen it. Soon the kiss turned passionate. But as soon as Serena realised what she was doing, she pulled back from her, staring at her with wide eyes. Wordlessly, Serena rushed from the room, racing to the office, where she closed the door firmly, collapsing against it, promptly bursting into tears.

* * *

 _A/N: This is a re-write of the previous 7_ _th_ _chapter because I decided to change the storyline a bit and it made sense to do it this way. Basically, Alex and Caroline aren't a developed thing like Berena are at this point, however they do have feelings for one another._

 _Anyway, I'm gonna go and re-write chapter 8, because even though I've already written it, I didn't post it or chapter 9 and 10 because I had doubts about where the story was going. I'm honestly glad I didn't post them though because they were crap._

 _And also, sorry for not uploading for such a long time._

 _Tata sweethearts, see you next chapter xx._


	8. The Admission

Serena spent the rest of the shift avoiding Caroline's room, instead allowing Bernie and Raf to take her observations, and monitor any changes. Unluckily for her, that meant spending the whole day pen-pushing as Bernie and Raf had also taken also the other patients. Serena's shift had almost ended, when Bernie entered the office, looking for a second opinion. She presented Serena a file, which she took gratefully, flipping through to make sense of the case. Once she had read the file, she placed it gently on the desk, next to Bernie, who had perched herself on the corner. Serena looked up at Bernie, expecting Bernie to tell her the plan of action.

Clearing her throat, Bernie began, "I was thinking if we dive straight in, slicing from the bottom of the ribs to the belly button we could have a better look at what we're dealing with."

"Yeah, that seems plausible. Do you want me to scrub in with you? I'm going mad being couped up in here with barely anything to do," Serena replied.

"Yeah. You can definitely join me. And you could have asked for some patients from me. Surprisingly today isn't very busy, so that's why Raf and I took the patients. Anyway, I'll see you in theatre."

With just a gentle rub on the shoulder, Bernie hopped down off the desk, heading for theatre, in order to scrub in. Serena watched Bernie leave, before cradling her head in her hands, wondering how on earth she would breach the topic with Bernie. She was dreading telling her but she knew that she would have to at some point. Shaking herself from her stupor, Serena stood up and followed Bernie's path to the theatre room. Once she scrubbed in, Serena joined Bernie in the room to wait for the patient to be brought in. While they were waiting, Serena and Bernie discussed how they would go about the surgery.

It didn't take long for the patient to arrive, nor did it take long fro Bernie and Serena to fall into a rhythm, beginning the surgery quickly. After a while, Bernie spoke up, "Serena can you pass me that tube please?" She waited a few moments before reaching around and grabbing it herself. Once again, Bernie began, "Serena, I was thinking we could head to Albies after the shift?" She wasn't surprised when she got no reply once again. Deciding enough was enough, Bernie raised her voice, basically shouting Serena's name.

When Serena looked up, Bernie began, "Alright, what's on your mind?"

Taking a deep breath, Serena cautiously replied, "You're not going to like it."

"Whatever it is, is bothering you and you need to tell me right now."

"Okay. But before I do, can you promise me to try not to get angry? I'll understand if you do because honestly I would, but please promise me you'll try."

"Yes, Serena. I promise I'll try not to get angry. Now, spill."

"Okay… today, as you know, Caroline woke up. She asked to see me and I went over, thinking she wanted to ask about the surgery or something like that. But when I got there, she said she wanted me back – "

"What?!"

"I was shocked and told her I didn't want that and that I was with you, and happy but she wasn't having any of that, trying to convince me to get back with her. She asked for a hug, which I – rather foolishly – gave her, but when I went to pull away, she kissed me. It all happened so fast and I'm ashamed to say that I did reciprocate."

"What the fuck?!"

"I'm so, so sorry, Bernie. I never meant to hurt you. It happened all so quickly, I didn't know what was happening."

"You're telling me that you kissed the same woman who you broke up with to be with me? Serena, how could you?"

"I'm sorry, Bern'. I don't know what happened."

"Well, I suppose there's only one thing for it."

"What's that?"

"Her or me?"

"It's obviously you. How could you think otherwise?"

"Well, you kissed another woman, so I suppose that answers that question. And Serena?"

"Yes."

"In the meantime, while you decide, consider us over," Bernie didn't mean it and she knew she was being cruel, but she didn't care. Serena had hurt her, that's all she could focus on.

Serena didn't answer, she just stared down at the body in front of her, closing the wound. She felt so ashamed and so guilty that she had actually cheated on Bernie. Her vision began to blur as tears pooled in her eyes. She knew that she couldn't continue surgery safely, so she quickly excused herself to the washroom, scrubbing out quickly. She headed straight to the office, grabbing her clothes and quickly getting changed then and there. She collected her bag, coat and scarf before basically running from the hospital to her car, intent on getting home as quick as possible.

* * *

Bernie charged from theatre, intent on reaching the side room as soon as possible. She didn't care if anyone tried to stop her. She didn't care if anyone looked at her weirdly. All she cared about was giving that blonde harlot a piece of her mind. Bernie was fuming, _'How dare she try to make a move on Serena?! How dare she lecture me on hurting Serena when she's just done the same thing?!'._ Bernie charged through AAU, easily brushing Raf off when he tried to stop her. She barged into the room, not caring if Caroline was asleep, changing or using the loo – she had to hear what Bernie thought of her. Caroline looked up from her book, startled when she heard someone barge their way into her room. When she saw that it was actually Bernie, at first she relaxed, then tensed again as she saw the fire in her eyes.

Bernie didn't give Caroline a chance to begin speaking, "How bloody dare you?! How dare you kiss my girlfriend! You are a fucking bitch who enjoys making others miserable. We've just broken up because you kissed her. You've ruined everything!"

Before Bernie could continue, Caroline piped up, "What did you just say? You and Serena have broken up?"

"Yes! Because of what you did. You confused her and now she needs to figure out who she wants. I never wanted her to have to do this, but obviously you do. You obviously don't care about how she feels. Obviously you only care about your own feelings. Bloody Hell, Caroline! I'm sorry, I can't treat you anymore. I'm passing you over to another doctor because I can't even stand to look at you right now."

With that last thing said, Bernie left the room, leaving Caroline to focus on the only thing that mattered – they had broken up. That meant she had a chance. Despite her extensive injuries, Caroline found she was able to move quite easily. She determined that it was because she was running on adrenaline. After carefully removing the lines they had inserted and the monitors that were attached to her, she walked over to her bag and pulled on the clothes in there. Making sure she was careful, Caroline left Holby City Hospital, deciding to head straight to Serena's house… She was winning her girl back.

* * *

Serena sat heavily on her sofa, another bottle of shiraz in hand. It was the third one that afternoon. She didn't bother with a glass as she knew she was just going to finish the bottle anyway. Lifting the bottle to her lips, Serena basically inhaled the red nectar. When she went to take another gulp, she was stopped by a soft tapping at her door. With an annoyed roll of the eyes, Serena heavily placed the bottle on to the table. Sighing as she got up, Serena made her way slowly to the front door, keeping her footsteps light. Looking down at her pyjamas, she realised that she really wasn't in any fit state to entertain, let alone answer the door. Huffing lightly, Serena found a jumper on the coat stand, quickly pulling it over her head, trying to look somewhat presentable.

Without bothering to check who was at the door, Serena pulled open the door gasping when she saw who was on the other side. A myriad of ideas crossed Serena's mind from slamming the door to hitting the person before her. Luckily, sensibility took over and Serena took a few deep breaths, standing calmly in her doorway. The woman shouldn't have even been there… Serena couldn't say how long it had been since she was here. Serena watched as the woman's blonde hair rustled softly in the breeze. Her glare wavered as she saw the despair in the woman's chestnut eyes. Somehow, Serena couldn't keep up the pretence of a cold heart with anyone who looked at her with saddened eyes. Not with Bernie, not her mother, not even her ex-husband Edward and especially not her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Serena asked.

"I needed to see you and talk to you," Caroline replied, cautiously.

"You should be in hospital."

"I discharged myself. As I said, I needed to see you."

"Why? I have nothing to say to you."

"Please, Rena?"

"Fine. But don't call me that."

Standing aside to allow Caroline past, she held the door steadfastly open. Taking a deep breath, Serena slowly closed the door, intent on waiting until the last possible moment till she had to return to the living area of her house. Once again, Serena treaded slowly through the house, joining Caroline in the living room, startled that she had already gotten a glass and helped herself to some wine. Carefully sitting down, Serena tried to ignore the awkward vibe that passed heavily through the room. They sat in silence for a while, just listening to each other's breathing, both occasionally sipping their wine. After a while, Serena got annoyed by the silence.

Huffing, Serena said, "You said you needed to speak to me, so unless you're trying to communicate telepathically, then I suggest you begin." She glared at Caroline, hoping she would crack.

Caroline withered under the heavy stare that Serena was giving her, "I wanted to see if you were okay."

"That's not your job."

"But I care about you. I want it to by my job."

"But it doesn't change the fact that it's not your job and that regardless if you care about me it doesn't change a thing."

Deciding to try a new path, Caroline began again, "Serena, I want to sort things out between us. Please? I want us to be okay, even if it's just friendship."

"It's too late for that, Caroline. Because you 'care about me', you've basically destroyed my relationship. And for you to sit there and tell me how you feel with no regard for my own feelings. My best friend, girlfriend and soul mate just gave me an ultimatum because she thought that I still had feelings for you. You have no idea how much I want to strangle you right now."

"She told me you broke up, but didn't mention anything about an ultimatum. She also wants to kill me. It seems as if the both of you share a common thought."

"Don't get bloody smart with me, Caroline Leanne Scott. You have ruined the best thing that ever happened to me through your own selfish notions."

"You know, you could probably cut the sexual tension in here with a knife," once again, Caroline changed the subject, trying to rile Serena up in another direction.

"Fuck you."

"Please do."

Serena stared at Caroline, shocked at the words that followed her own. Caroline stared back, smirking. Acting quickly, Caroline leaned in to Serena, capturing her lips passionately. Caroline hadn't expected Serena to respond, so she was surprised when she deepened the kiss, allowing their tongues to mingle and battle. Very quickly, everything escalated. Caroline soon found her self dishevelled, shirt unbuttoned, hair mussed and panting. She felt herself being dragged to the bedroom, which shocked her immensely.

For at least the next hour, Caroline and Bernie kept each other stimulated, coaxing each other over the edge countless times. Soon, the found themselves feeling spent, so they slowed down. Instead of engaging in the rough sex as they had been, they slowed down, Caroline realising that they were making love. It sent Caroline to new heights, bringing her to the edge even faster than before. It didn't matter to Caroline that Serena was just using her to get over Bernie. It didn't matter that Serena was too drunk to realise what she was doing. It didn't matter that the last time Serena lost control, she shouted Bernie's name. All that mattered to Caroline was the fact that she got to have Serena touch her and that she got to touch Serena. Soon both women soon fell asleep, feeling exhausted, in each other's arms. They slept the entire night through, until late the next morning.

* * *

 _A/N: So, that's it for now… I hope you all enjoy it. For all those wondering why Serena jumped immediately to Caroline, the answer is she's drunk._

 _The aftermath will be next chapter and the fic should soon wrap up in a few chapters' time. I don't know how many more there will be but it should be finished soon._

 _Tata Sweethearts… see you in Chapter 9!_


	9. The Aftermath

"Oh, fuck me," Serena woke up, her head pounding with the aftermath of her large alcohol consumption. First thing she noticed was that she wasn't wearing any clothes. She rolled over in bed, finding a head of messy blonde hair on the opposite pillow. Puzzled, Serena looked closer, thinking it could be Bernie, but discovered it was actually Caroline in her bed. She was trying to piece everything together. All she could remember was coming home and drinking some wine. She panicked, thinking how she could get out of this. Scrambling out of bed, Serena decided that a shower would clear her mind more, despite the fact that her head would continue to pound.

Serena stood in the shower, taking extra care to wash every inch of her body to rid herself of the dirty, used feeling. She washed her hair at least three times, before lathering her body in an extremely thick layer of soap, before rinsing it all off. She stood in the shower for a while longer, trying to ignore the pounding in her head. By the time she decided to get out of the shower, she had been in there for about half an hour. She took longer than usual to dry off, avoiding the inevitable. She dreaded the moment she would have to see Caroline again. Finally deciding that she should get dressed, Serena traipsed to her bedroom, noticing that her bed was made and the messy blonde head wasn't there. Pulling some clothes out, Serena realised then and there that she was quite sore. Normally she would be happy about this, however this time all she felt was regret.

Despite feeling sore, Serena made her way quickly down the stairs, desperately wanting to know if Caroline had left yet. She halted immediately when she saw Caroline at the table, two full English Breakfast meals set on that same table. Serena decided not to sit down, opting to lean on the kitchen bench adjacent to the table. Caroline gestured her hand to the plate opposite her on the table. Serena snorted and raised her eyebrow, "This is my house, and you're here acting as if you own the place?"

"Well, I did make you breakfast," Caroline stood up, making her way to Serena. She wrapped her arms around her waist trapping her against the bench. "But then again, I'm not that hungry for food."

Serena pushed her off, "You need to stop right now. We are not together. Last night I was drunk. I was too drunk to make a proper decision and you took advantage of that."

"You can't tell me you didn't enjoy it. You can't tell me that you don't have that deliciously sore feeling like I do."

"Well, I can't say if I did enjoy it because I don't bloody remember anything. But I do know what happened. I can say that I regret it. Last night was a mistake; it never should have happened. It will never happen again."

"You want to forget it ever happened?"

"Apart from the fact that I actually can't remember it, I think it's wise."

"That's not what I asked."

"What?"

"I asked if you wanted to forget about it, not if it's wise."

"Don't be a smart arse."

"Well, you didn't answer the damn question."

"Truthfully, I want to forget it ever happened. I want to forget you ever came to Holby, ever came into my life. Last night only made things clearer to me… You like to manipulate people to get your way. So, yes, I want to forget it ever happened. And I want you to get out of my house."

"Serena…"

"No. You took advantage of me. That's something I can't forgive. Now get out."

"Serena…"

"We are never ever going to be together again. Now, I repeat, get out."

"Serena, something's wrong…"

"Don't try to pull that one on me, Caroline."

Caroline didn't reply, she just fainted dead on the floor. Serena cursed, remembering that Caroline had literally just gotten out of surgery. Lifting up her shirt, Serena checked the stitches to see that a few had become infected. Quickly transforming into a doctor once more, Serena grabbed her phone and called an ambulance. She quickly ran to get her First Aid Kit so that she could clean the wound as best she could at her home. As she cleaned the wound, she wished that the ambulance would arrive quickly. Sure enough, within a couple of minutes, Jez and Iain arrived at the door, knocking heavily. Serena scampered through her house, quickly opening the front door before leading the Paramedics to Caroline.

It took only a few minutes for Jez and Iain to get Caroline prepared for the ambulance van. "Do you want to come with us to the hospital, Ms Campbell?" Iain asked as they were heading out.

"No. And please, don't mention my name. Just say she was with family if you are asked. I don't want to be involved," Serena replied quickly.

Iain nodded before following Jez out the door to the van. Serena watched as they loaded Caroline into the van, before disappearing back into her house to begin clearing the table. When she got there, however, she just sank into a chair, silently reliving the morning and everything she remembered that had happened in the last 48 hours. Within a matter of seconds, Serena felt her anger bubble just below the surface, before it completely exploded. Serena quickly stood up and pushed the table, immediately regretting it. "Oh, for fucks sake," she muttered, annoyed. She knelt down and began trying to collect the pieces of smashed plate. She gave up quickly, throwing the pieces down again scoffing as she watched.

Feeling that she had had enough, Serena grabbed her coat, bag, scarf and keys before heading out and driving away. She needed to get away… she needed space to think and she couldn't do that in Holby. She realised that she was heading to the motorway and discovered that she didn't care. She took a random exit, anticipating where it would take her. Soon enough, she saw a sign that told her she was in Stepney. She laughed at the irony of that. She once told Bernie that she'd kissed a girl here, and now she was actually here without a girl to kiss. Looking for a space to park, Serena just laughed to herself at the situation she'd got herself into.

Pulling into a car space, Serena got out of the car, intent on walking around Stepney. Almost immediately, the stress she felt was drifting away, and she felt more relaxed then she had in a long while. She sat down on a bench in a park she'd passed just thinking that she would love to come here again one day… One day where she wasn't so stressed and she didn't have as many problems. The loud ringtone of her phone pulled Serena from her reverie, startling her. She had a slight panic attack when she saw Bernie's name standing proudly on the screen. Shaking, Serena pressed the answer call button, before carefully lifting the phone to her ear.

"Hello," Serena answered, fearful that Bernie would yell at her about everything.

"Serena, I know it's your day off," Bernie began. Serena was so relieved by this, she loudly exhaled. "But can you come in to work. We have a situation."

"What's happened?"

"There's been an influx of patients and we need as many hands on deck."

"Right. I'm not currently in Holby, but I'll try to get back as soon as I can."

"What? Where the hell are you?"

"Stepney."

"Serena, that's over an hour from here. Wait, why are you there?"

"I know. I'll be there soon." Serena hung up, deliberately ignoring Bernie's last question.

* * *

 **Back at Holby**

Bernie put her phone away, confused about Serena abruptly finishing the call like that. She noticed that she avoided her question and made a mental note to ask her about that when she returned. Bernie sat at the Nurse's Station, thinking about the puzzling night and morning that she'd had. Firstly, she finds out that Serena kissed Caroline, then she has a go at Caroline, then Caroline goes missing and returns with somewhat infected stitches. Bernie let out a bark of laughter at that. It had all been so confusing. Checking the time, Bernie realised that it was time for Caroline's obs. She stood up in order to find Raf, walking around AAU for a few minutes, before asking Fletch who said he was in theatre. Realising that she'd have to do the obs herself, Bernie sighed and touched her forehead with her fingers.

Resigning herself to the fact that she would have to see Caroline, Bernie found herself stalking to the side room preparing herself for any conflicts that might occur. She slipped quietly into the room after seeing that Caroline was asleep. Tiptoeing round the bed, Bernie took in all the stats on the monitor before adding them to the file. Bernie made to leave before she was stopped by a voice, "So, I'm doing well, am I?"

"As well as can be expected, yes," Bernie replied, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.

"How long until I'm out of here?"

"Well, if you hadn't left the hospital, you probably would have been out this afternoon, but as a result of your little excursion, you'll need to stay for a few more days at least. Now, stitches don't just get infected like that, so I'm only going to ask you once; where were you and what were you doing?"

"I don't think you really want to know."

"Trust me, it's imperative to your treatment so I do want to know."

"Okay. I was having sex."

"Was the place sanitary?"

"Obviously."

"Where was this place?"

"Serena Campbell's house."

"What?"

"Serena Campbell's house. I'm pretty sure you know where that is. I also assume that you can judge the state of her house for yourself."

"Well, it seems as if your stitches have slightly broken before time, meaning that they became infected, resulting in a longer stay." Bernie faltered slightly, trying to stay calm.

"Ah, fair enough."

"You should get some rest. I have work to do. Excuse me."

"See you later, Ms Wolfe."

Bernie didn't acknowledge Caroline, she just ran from the room, struggling with her emotions. Quickly barking an order to Fletch about not being disturbed unless someone's about to die, Bernie ran to the office, locking the door and pulling the blinds down. Immediately, she collapsed to the floor, hugging herself. It didn't take long for the tears to start. They rolled down her face at an alarming rate, spilling down to her arms. Suddenly, everything just got so overwhelming, and the tears began falling even faster. She buried her face in her arms, trying to block the whole world out.

* * *

Serena arrived at Holby City quicker than she expected. She ran to the lift, waiting impatiently as it arrived. Arriving on AAU, Serena was bombarded by Fletch who told her that Raf needed her in theatre as soon as possible. Nodding, Serena rushed to the locker room, changing quickly into her scrubs and hurrying to theatre. Once she scrubbed in, she listened to Raf as he gave her the rundown. Nodding, Serena moved to the patient, quickly assessing the situation for herself before deciding on a plan of action.

Serena clamped the patient's artery, attempting to stop the bleed, cursing when he continued to bleed anyway. She heard Raf inhale sharply, before letting the breath out slowly, trying to calm himself. Taking a deep breath in, Serena re-attempted the clamp, and was glad when it stuck this time. Serena asked for some stitches, and made quick work of repairing the artery. Working her way through the damage, and calling for different tools, Serena made quick work of the operation, Raf looking on in awe.

Serena asked Raf to close up, so she scrubbed out and made her way through AAU to the Nurse's Station, puzzled when she didn't see Bernie. She asked one of the passing porters if they'd seen her, but he had no idea. She changed tack, asking one of the nurse, "Nurse Brown, have you seen Ms Wolfe?"

"She's in your office. She told Fletch that she was not to be disturbed unless someone was about to die," Nurse Brown replied before scurrying away to finish a patients' stitches.

Serena looked over to the office, where the blinds were drawn. Immediately, Serena hurried over, knowing that something was definitely wrong. She tried the door, and started when she found it was locked. She searched in her pocket for her keys, giving a soft 'a-ha' when she found them. Fumbling, she dropped the keys, groaning as she bent to pick them up. When she found the key, Serena opened the door, frowning when she initially found the office empty. Looking around, she found Bernie on the floor hunched, as if hugging herself. Serena felt a pang in her heart as she rushed over to her girlfriend. She immediately went to hug Bernie, recoiling when she flinched away.

"Bernie, what's wrong?" Serena asked, initially thinking that Bernie was crying over a lost patient.

Bernie lifted her head, looking into Serena's dry eyes with her own red-rimmed ones, "You cheated on me is what's wrong! Why did you do it? Am I not good enough for you? Why didn't you tell me?! Why did I have to hear it from her?"

"Oh God, Bernie. I'm so, so sorry… Of course you're good enough for me. I was going to tell you; I didn't want you to find out like this."

"But I did."

"Bernie, please understand, it was a mistake. One that definitely should not have happened – "

"Is she what you were doing this morning when I called you?"

"No! Bernie, I told you, I was in Stepney."

"Don't lie. We both know you weren't in bloody Stepney."

"Bernie, I was. I promise you."

"That means nothing to me."

"Bernie…"

"Why was it so easy for you to sleep with her, when even in all the time we've been together we never did anything apart from what happened here in this office? What made her so special, Serena? Is it because she's younger? Prettier?"

"No! Look, it wasn't like that at all. I came home and finished two bottles of shiraz. I was starting on my third when she appeared at my door. She said she wanted to talk, so I let her in. I was drunk, Bernie… I know it's no excuse but it's the truth. I don't remember anything that happened beyond letting her in. But what I do know is that I regret the whole thing."

"Serena, you said you didn't want to make excuses, but that's exactly what you've done. It takes two to tango. You could've said no. You could've pushed her away, but you didn't. You fucked her and let yourself be fucked by her. So how can you say you regret it, when you probably enjoyed it?!"

"Bernie, that's unfair – "

"NO! WHAT'S UNFAIR IS YOU CHEATING ON ME, SERENA!"

"Look, Bernie, please, it was a one-time thing."

"Except it wasn't though. You already went back to her before, and you've gone back again. I've asked you to choose. And it's obvious to me who you have chosen; her."

"Bernie, I haven't chosen her. I told her that we could never be together ever again because I want you," Serena took Bernie's hands. "Bernie, I choose you because nothing makes sense without you. I can't live without you. Without you, I'm not living, I'm only existing. Without you, I can't breathe. When I'm not near you, I'm incomplete, because you are my other half. When you're not around, I am lost. I'm nothing without you. Berenice Wolfe, I lo– "

"Don't you dare say it, Serena Campbell. Don't you dare! You don't do this to someone you love. If you even say those words, I'll know they are a lie. I never would have thought that you were someone who would ever hurt me or lie to me. Today you've done both, Serena," Bernie pushed Serena off and stood up. "I'm sorry, Serena but this is the last time you'll ever hurt me. We're over for good."

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry guys… this one is angsty. I know that in the light of recent Holby events (I'm only on S19E21 because Australia) I need a bit of a pick-me-up but this story is hitting its main complication._

 _Anyway, I'm gonna get started on the next chapter now… Tata sweethearts._


	10. Just A Filler

Serena watched as Bernie left the room, collapsing emotionally exhausted against the wall. By this point, Serena who had already shed a few tears, burst into violent sobs. She didn't care if anyone heard her. She couldn't care less if the patients up on Darwin could hear her. She'd lost the love of her life, the breath in her lungs, the one person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. And it was her own stupid fault. She wished she'd never let Caroline into her home; wished she'd never got drunk, but most of all, she wished she'd never had sex with her.

Serena got up off the floor and sank behind her desk. She cradled her forehead in her palms, allowing her tears to fall onto the spotless desk. Allowing herself to let all the emotions out, Serena stayed put, just crying her eyes out until she felt she could cry no more. Very quickly, Serena began to feel light-headed. Groaning, Serena realised what was about to happen. She felt herself lose control of her own body. She began to panic, her head feeling even lighter, and chest tightening painfully. Whimpering, Serena tried to curl up in the foetal position, but found her body uncooperative. Scared and unable to move, Serena began to cry so much harder than before. Frantically trying to remember what to do in case of a panic attack, Serena tried to breathe through the pain. Slowly but surely, her head stopped being so light and her chest began to loosen, allowing her to breathe properly again. Reaching for her bag, Serena rummaged, searching for her Xanax. She hadn't had to use this in years, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to calm down without it. The pills felt alien in her hand after so long of not needing them. Quickly swallowing two down, Serena took another deep breath, trying to remain peaceful.

Serena felt anger boiling up inside of her. She needed to find Bernie and explain. She needed to find Caroline and yell. She needed to find Caroline. Walking around the desk, Serena left the office, scampering through AAU to the side room where Caroline was. As soon as she was in the room, her anger dissipated, instead leaving her with a feeling of immense disappointment. She strode over to the chair, eyes cast down, sitting heavily. She looked up briefly at Caroline, who was staring back with great interest.

"Why, Caroline? Why did you tell her?" Serena asked, resigned.

"She asked me where I was and what I was doing last night and said it was imperative to my treatment. I had to be honest," Caroline replied, obviously tired.

"You could have lied."

"I couldn't have. I've never been able to lie to anyone at all."

"What did you say?"

"I told her that I was at your house having sex."

"Why did she want to know?"

"She said that she needed to know how the stitches got infected."

"Oh. Yeah I can see that."

"Serena, what's wrong?"

"Bernie and I had a fight… She hates me."

"Honey, I very much doubt that."

"Don't, Caroline. Just don't."

"Sorry."

"Look, Serena I'm sorry that everything's gone pear shaped. I don't regret last night, and I definitely stand by my feelings. I want you back. I know that I went off with Alex and you with Bernie, but from my end, she was an enigma, and I wanted to find out more about her. I regret how we left things. We never got a proper goodbye and I think I'm clinging to the past. I've never stopped wanting you and I don't think I ever will."

"Caroline, please don't do this to me. I'm already confused. Please don't add to that."

"But, 'Rena I still love you. I still want you so much."

"Don't call me that. I'm sorry, Caroline I have to go."

Serena ran from the room to the Nurse's Station under the pretence of needing more work to do. She was confused. She wanted Bernie, but Bernie broke up with her and Caroline wanted her but she didn't want Caroline. Serena realised that she was in the middle of a very confusing love triangle.

* * *

It had been a fortnight since Bernie broke up with Serena. It had been a fortnight since Bernie's life had been turned upside down. It had been a week and four days since Caroline left the ward, eliminating one of Bernie's problems. It had been a week since Bernie found herself almost forgiving Serena. It had been two days since Bernie had last been at work. It was Monday and Bernie found herself dreading going to work. She was dreading walking into the ward that she ran along with Serena and seeing that dratted room that she tried to avoid. She was dreading seeing Fletch, knowing that he assumed that it had been Bernie who hurt Serena. She was dreading seeing Serena, knowing that she would get looks of longing from the shorter brunette.

Bernie swung her legs over the edge of the bed, sitting up and groaning as she felt the effects of last nights drinking. Bernie hadn't really been coping well over the past fortnight. She felt herself drinking more and more as she found she just wanted to forget. Rubbing her face, Bernie stood up carefully, making her way gingerly to the ensuite to get ready for the day. She was relieved when she stepped under the heavy spray of the shower. Bernie found herself basking in the heat of the hot water. After a while, she quickly, yet carefully soaped up and rinsed off, wanting to get her day started as soon as she could. Wrapping a towel around herself, Bernie walked back into her bedroom, to her wardrobe to decide what she wanted to wear. She decided on her trademark black skinny jeans, and a navy blue button-down shirt.

Bernie yawned, and walked over to her bed where she pulled her phone from the nightstand. She turned it on and saw that she had three messages from Serena. They were the same three messages that she had gotten from Serena every morning for the last week; 'I'm sorry', 'Please forgive me' and 'Can we talk?'. Once again, Bernie ignored the messages, finding herself unable to form a sensible response. She had barely uttered a word to Serena since she found out that she cheated on her. Bernie felt a pang of hurt when she thought of Serena and Caroline together. Bernie pushed the thought from her mind as she busied herself with getting ready for work.

It took Bernie five minutes to be completely ready before she was out the door. In her car, Bernie absentmindedly drove the familiar streets to Holby City, instead mentally preparing herself for the day. She considered acting like a total bitch as she did every morning, but reconsidered, deciding on keeping with the same routine as she had been doing. She was going to avoid Serena completely unless she had to speak to her about a patient, which surprisingly wasn't very often these days. Bernie found herself suddenly driving round the last corner before reaching the hospital. When she got top the car park, Bernie took a deep breath before heading inside.

* * *

 **Serena's morning**

Serena awoke with a pounding headache. She had guzzled a whole bottle of Shiraz within the hour last night before promptly passing out on the couch. She had woken up a few hours later and taken herself to bed. And now she found herself waking up with a pounding headache and sore neck and back. Groaning heavily, Serena sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes wearily. It was going to be a long day. She reached over to her nightstand and grabbed her phone. She was puzzled when she had a message from Raf. Deciding to ignore it for the time being, Serena typed a message to Bernie, 'I'm sorry.' Then she decided to add two more messages as usual; 'Please forgive me,' and 'Can we talk?'. She desperately wanted to sort things out with Bernie because she wanted to reconcile their relationship… she truly loved her so much.

She quickly flicked over to Raf's message and sighed as she read it,

" **Hey Serena, I'm just texting you to let you know that I'm going up to Keller for the day. I've spoken to Hanssen and he's arranged a locum for the day. Sorry for any inconvenience. Raf."**

Serena read it and thought, 'That's just all I need." She quickly typed **'OK'** , before going to return her phone on the nightstand. She was startled when the phone began to ring. After almost dropping it, she looked at the Caller ID and saw that it was Hanssen. Rolling her eyes, Serena answered the call, "Yes, Mr Hanssen."

"Good morning Ms Campbell. I trust you're well. I'm guessing you're wondering why I've called," Hanssen answered formally.

"You could say that."

"I assume that Dr Di Lucca has told you that he would be working on Keller today."

"Yes."

"I have arranged a locum to take his place in the meantime."

"May I ask who it is?"

"Yes, of course you can. It is a… Ms Caroline Scott. She was here a while ago when Ms Wolfe was in Ukraine if you remember."

"Yes. Yes of course I remember. Mr Hanssen, I'll have to go otherwise I'll be late."

"Have a good day, Ms Campbell."

"You too, Mr Hanssen."

Serena hung up, giving a heavy sigh. "God, that's all I fucking need," she muttered, angrily. She quickly got out of bed and headed to her bathroom, where she ran the shower. She stepped in and made sure to quickly get herself washed and ready for the day. When she'd finished, she went to her closet and picked the dullest of her shirts and her usual black pants. She scampered down the stairs and entered her kitchen, where she set about making herself a coffee. When she'd finished making it, she tried to gulp it down as quickly as she could so that she could get to work early. After swallowing the last of the scalding liquid, Serena quickly brushed her teeth and hair, before putting her shoes on, grabbing her bag and coat and leaving the house.

The drive to Holby was spent thinking about how Serena would tell Bernie about Caroline. She knew that this would be a sticky situation and that it would be very awkward for the three of them. Suddenly, Serena thought of the best way to tell Bernie… she would buy her a coffee first and then stick a post-it note on the cup. Serena scowled… it sounded stupid now. She wouldn't do that. But she would still buy the Blonde a coffee as she had been doing every morning for the past week. However, instead of the simple 'good morning' that they usually exchanged she would just tell Bernie about the situation.

* * *

Arriving on AAU, Serena went straight to the office, holding two coffees in her hands. She knew that Bernie would be in the office as that was where she was every morning. Walking in, Serena noted that Bernie seemed to be working through her paperwork. After placing the coffee on Bernie's desk, Serena headed back around to her own desk. She began working on her paperwork, but stopped after she heard Bernie sigh.

"Why are you doing this?" Bernie all but whispered.

"Doing what?" Serena decided to play dumb.

"Why are you buying me coffee and being nice to me?"

"Because I can."

"Serena…"

"Bernie."

"You can't just buy me coffee and be nice in the hopes that we'll get back together. It doesn't work that way."

"I know… I just thought that I would take baby steps at first. Besides I do have some rather bad news this morning."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Umm… Hanssen called me earlier this morning to tell me that Raf was going on Keller today and that he had sorted a locum – "

"I don't see how that's bad news."

"It isn't. But the next part is… the locum, it's Caroline. Hanssen seemed to think she was quite efficient last time she was locum here and decided that she was the best for the job this time."

"You're joking."

"Believe me, I wish I was."

"Why can't she just leave us alone?" Bernie growled.

"Bernie, you need to calm down. It's just for the day and we can try to limit the contact we have with her. Except for the fact that we have to brief her on the patients quickly."

"Serena, just don't. You can take care of her… I don't want to be anywhere near her at all."

"I understand. I think she's arrived. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Oh, before you go, do you want to assist in theatre later? I could use your expertise with this one."

"Yeah. Sure… see you then."

Serena walked around the desks and behind Bernie's chair, taking note of how she tensed up. Quickly, she bent down and pecked her on the cheek before she basically ran out of the office. She was glad that she was making some leeway with Bernie. But Caroline couldn't have come at a worse time. Arriving at the Nurse's Station, Serena looked around for Caroline and watched her as she strolled through the doors. Raising an eyebrow, Serena continued to watch Caroline as she slowly made her way to the Nurse's Station. Looking down at her watch, Serena began, "Nice of you to show up, Ms Scott."

"I'm not late, am I?" Caroline panicked.

"No. But you could move faster than snail's pace. You do have work to do and so do I. Now, let's get this briefing over and done with and then you can get changed and begin your day. You'll be looking after the patient in bed 1 who has a Hernia that needs to be monitored, bed 3 has Peritonitis and needs to have obs taken every 20 minutes. If anything goes wrong with those patients or in they need extra care, come to me first and then we can sort out a plan of action. Understood?"

"Yeah." Serena began to walk away. "Hey, Serena!"

"What?"

"I've missed you."

"Have you?"

Serena walked away from Caroline towards the patient in bed 8. She needed a distraction from her personal life for just a minute. She made sure to concentrate on everything Mr Georges was saying before realising that this would be quite a tricky case. Inwardly, she whooped and then groaned but on the outside she retained her cool demeanour. She was in for a long day…

* * *

 _A/N: That's it for now. This chapter was more of a filler than anything else. I could hardly have gone on to the next stage in the fic without this… However, I am almost done._

 _Just realised that Serena is in a love triangle with two leggy blondes… I think there's a trend here. HAHAHAHA!_

 _Okay, umm… I had been thinking the other day about this fic and realised that cheating was something that Serena would never do (according to Holby City). But in this, Serena was drunk and I know that when people get drunk, they lose all inhibitions. This is basically what happened with Serena._

 _Thank you all for your reviews… They make me smile. In response to those who are begging for a Berena ending… don't worry. Everything will turn out fine in the end, which will be very soon. ;)_

 _Tata for now though…_


	11. They Left Together

Bernie had managed to avoid Caroline for the best part of the day. It was lucky that Bernie had dedicated the whole day to admin work, otherwise she would have gone mad. From her desk, she could just see the ward, meaning she could see how Caroline was walking around as if she owned the ward. Every time that Bernie caught a glimpse of that scarlet woman, she would feel a surge of rage course through her veins. When she saw that smug look, her blood would boil. Multiple times, she almost lost her temper. However, she always managed to calm herself down.

Bernie felt her stomach rumble, thinking it strange that she was hungry until she checked her watch. She laughed when she saw it was actually after one o'clock. Upon making the decision to get some food from Pulses, Bernie reached for her handbag, rifling through it for her purse. As soon as she found the purse, Bernie stalked straight out of the ward, heading down to the café on the ground floor. In the lift, she mentally went through the Pulses menu, deciding on a salad sandwich with an Americano with an extra shot. She also decided to get Serena a coffee as well to pay her back for this morning. The lift dinged, signalling its arrival to its destination forcing Bernie from her decision-making. She approached the café, groaning with distaste when she saw how long the line was. Bernie found herself juggling her options; go back upstairs to the office and do more admin or wait in line for food and procrastinate. Obviously, the latter option won out.

Once Bernie actually got her food, she decided to head back up to the office to eat. She found Serena in the office, which made it easier for Bernie to hand the coffee over. Offering the coffee to Serena, Bernie was greeted with a smile that was almost a grimace. Smirking, Bernie sat back down and opened her lunch, writing as she made her way through the sandwich. She stopped chewing when she saw Serena throw her pen down. Placing her sandwich down slowly, Bernie dusted her hands off before resting her chin in her hands. Deciding to forego the usual conversation about patients, Bernie chose to find out what was making Serena so upset.

"Care to share what's bothering you, Ms Campbell?" Bernie asked, cautiously.

"Not particularly, Ms Wolfe," Serena snapped back.

"Serena. What's wrong?"

"Three guesses and the first two don't count."

"Caroline Scott."

"Right in one."

"What's she done?"

"She's infuriating! Every time I turn around she seems to be there, watching me. And she walks around as if she owns the fucking hospital – excuse the language – which is definitely not on. Bernie, can I hide out in here with you?"

"I understand, Serena. I totally understand. And yes, yes absolutely you can hide out in here with me."

"Bernie?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry. For everything. I never meant to hurt you, and I know that sounds cliché and meaningless, but it's true. I regret everything and I wish it had never happened."

"Serena. Stop. I don't want to hear it. I can't hear this right now. This is work and we need to act professionally regardless of whatever has happened."

"I understand."

They fell into an uncomfortable silence, where they both returned to their paperwork. They worked steadfastly, never stopping to speak or look at one another.

* * *

 **On the Ward**

Fletch was hanging around the Nurse's Station, thinking about his day. He had done a lot more observing today, rather than actual work. He had watched as Bernie came in, looking around the ward as if trying to find someone. He had seen Serena come in, holding two coffees (as had become her habit), also looking around the ward as if wanting to find someone. He watched the door to Serena and Bernie's office, wanting to see how she was after she left. He was momentarily distracted at that point by Caroline Scott walking onto the ward. He couldn't say that he wasn't surprised she was here, but he did know that there would be a locum in place of Raf who went up to Keller for the day.

Even as Fletch was trying to calm a patient, he watched the tense exchange between Caroline and Serena. He wondered how things had gotten so bad since Caroline had been discharged. He observed every move that Caroline had made so far. She seemed to walk around with an air of superiority; as if the world owed her something. He watched as Serena watched her every move, glaring at her as she made her way around the ward. He tried to watch Bernie but thought it would be too suspicious if he was caught staring too much. Every time he looked over though, she seemed to also be glaring at Caroline. At one point, he watched Bernie and Serena in their office together, noticing how tense it had been.

Fletch thought to a fortnight ago, when he walked into the locker room to find Bernie had broken down. He felt awkward as he watched her sobbing quietly, yet heavily. But he made his way to sit next to her on the floor, wincing as his hips cracked loudly. He wrapped his arms firmly around her and held her as she cried. He felt her lean into him as her personal agony pulled her further into herself. He rubbed her back gently, knowing that she needed support through this. He kept rubbing her back and holding her until her sobs stopped. When she tried to pull away, embarrassed, Fletch only pulled her closer knowing that she needed someone. She sniffed before saying, "I'm sorry."

"What for?" Fletch replied, softly.

"For crying on you."

"Hate to tell you, Major but tears aren't the worst thing that have been on me." Bernie let out a watery chuckle. "So, what's wrong?"

"Serena and I have broken up."

"What? Why?"

"Well, she cheated on me, twice. And I told her it was over but I don't want it to be. I love her."

"Major – "

"Please, call me Bernie."

"Okay. Bernie, I don't know what to say. This is really out of character for Serena, especially after Edward."

"I know. She said she was drunk. She said she regrets it. But I don't know if I believe her. She kissed her before and now she's slept with her. I can't trust her, Fletch. I can't trust the woman I love. And I know, it's a pot-kettle situation here because I myself have cheated, but it's Serena and I never thought we would hurt each other like this."

"Bernie, if she said she was drunk, then she probably was. If she says she's sorry, she is. I know it seems as if you can't trust her right now, but believe me, your love for her will help you overcome that."

"How do you know she was telling the truth?"

"She loves you. When Serena loves someone, the only thing that can make her do something like this is a shitload of alcohol."

"Thanks, Fletch."

"No worries."

"Now, I have to be getting home. I have a me to feed."

Fletch laughed before letting her go, standing up quickly. He turned around offering his hands to Bernie to help her up. He pulled her in to one last hug before letting her go.

Fletch brought himself back to the present, pulling out his phone. He quickly sent a text to Raf, **'Fancy a bit of fun?'**

Before he put his phone away, Raf texted back, **'Such as?'**

' **Let's play cupid!'**

' **I'm in. Tell me the game plan.'**

' **Well, I don't have one exactly, but it involves Serena, Bernie and Caroline. We need to get Bernie and Serena back together and we need to convince Bernie that Caroline means nothing to Serena.'**

' **How about this? We lure them into the storeroom, and lock them in until Bernie and Serena are back together and Caroline is a distant memory.'**

' **I like it. Wanna come down and help me with it?'**

' **Yep. I think it's time for my lunch break.'**

Fletch put his phone back in his pocket, and began his rounds, pretending to be working. About 10 minutes later, he pulled out his phone and read that Raf was outside AAU. He finished up with the patient and went outside, looking for Raf.

"Fletch!" Raf exclaimed.

"Raf! I was doing some thinking about our plan and there's a fatal flaw," Fletch began seriously.

"Right. How do we lure them into the cupboard?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I know how to lure Caroline in, but not Bernie or Serena. We just need to tell Caroline that Serena's in there."

"True. Bernie and Serena will be a little trickier."

"We could tell Serena that we have a little stash of Shiraz in there that we were planning on drinking after shift."

"Yes! Good idea."

"Now, Bernie we could just ask to do a stocktake because we are all busy and she's doing admin today."

"Or we could just ask all three of them to do stocktake, claiming that we are too busy?"

"That's better. We have to ask them separately, though otherwise they'll get suspicious."

"Yeah."

"But, Fletch, I can't ask them. I'm not even supposed to be here."

"Good point. I'll ask them and you can join me after they're in there."

"Deal."

"Right, see you later mate."

"Two minutes."

Fletch went back into AAU, heading straight to Bernie and Serena's office. He knocked on the door, and waited until Bernie signalled for him to enter.

"Bernie, are you busy?" Fletch asked.

"A little. But I'm almost done her. Why?" Bernie seemed suspicious.

"Can I ask a huge favour?"

"Depends on what it is."

"Well, all of us out there are pretty busy and we have no time and we're almost due for one… Can you do a stocktake for us?"

"Yeah. Sure, I could do with a break."

"The record sheet is in the storeroom."

"Right. Thanks, Fletch."

"Don't mention it." Inwardly, Fletch was doing a happy dance.

After he was sure Bernie was in the storeroom, Fletch decided to kill two birds with one stone. He noticed that Caroline was asking Serena about a case and went over to ask the both of them.

"Hey, Ms Campbell, Ms Scott. Can I ask a huge favour?" Fletch approached them cautiously.

"Fletch, we're busy," Serena sighed.

"I know, but this is important."

"Fine. What is it?"

"Can you guys do a stocktake please?"

"Fletch, why ask us that? You know that we're busy."

"It's important and all the nurses are busy and you two are the only ones who are somewhat available."

"Fine. We'll do it."

"Thanks, Ms Campbell."

He followed them as they entered the storeroom. As soon as they were in, Fletch slammed the door shut and locked it. He listened as they started banging on the door, demanding to be let out. Just at that minute, Raf arrived, watching Fletch with a knowing smirk. Fletch smiled back, amused at the women's actions.

"You three have some stuff to work out. We won't let you out of there until we know that everything is fixed," Fletch shouted through the door.

"Fletch! Let us out!" Serena shouted.

"Sort things out," he retorted. Then in an overly exaggerated voice, he said, "Raf, do you want to go get a coffee?"

"Yeah. Why not?" he replied, playing along.

They both doubled over with laughter as they heard all the women shout from the inside. They laughed at their demands. Raf and Fletch couldn't breathe for laughing when finally, the shouting stopped and silence fell. It seemed as though they had resigned themselves to the fact that they needed to sort everything out.

* * *

 **Inside the storeroom**

Bernie had been the first to give up the racket, preferring to glare at Caroline instead as she stood just too close to Serena. Serena followed quickly, recognising that the men had left. It took Caroline a little longer, but she also gave up eventually collapsing against the door, looking between Bernie and Serena. Bernie had chosen to lean against a shelf unit, staring back at Caroline. Serena just stood between the two, inwardly wishing herself dead.

It felt like they'd been in there for hours. By now, Serena had ventured further into the room, electing to sit on an empty shelf that she found. Bernie had found a chair to sit in, and Caroline just sat on the floor where she was. Bernie had been thinking intently on everything that had happened recently. She thought about her reaction to Serena telling her about the kiss and then admitting to her one night stand with Caroline. Bernie knew that she loved Serena. She knew that she could forgive her, but she also knew it would take time. She wanted Serena back, so that's what she was going to get. Standing up abruptly, Bernie went on a search for Serena, leaving Caroline sitting by herself.

When Bernie had finally located Serena, she sat down next to her. They sat in silence for a while, just sitting next to each other in silence. They were both hunched over, resting their elbows on their knees. Bernie reached a hand over to Serena's bringing them together, entwining their fingers. Serena stared down at their hands, dumbfounded. She looked over to Bernie who was staring back at her.

"Bernie?" Serena began.

"Serena, I… I forgive you. For what you did, for what you said, for what you didn't say. I forgive you. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I ended things. I'm sorry I reacted so badly. I'm just really sorry, Serena."

"You don't know how happy I am that you said that. Bernie, I never wanted to hurt you. I never intended that. I was extremely drunk and had no idea what I was doing. I regret it and the only thing I want is you. I want an us. I want those adventures; I want those lazy Sundays; I want amazing dates; I want everything with you because Bernie, you make me whole. You make my life complete."

Before Bernie could reply, they were interrupted by Caroline, "Funny. You didn't seem to remember your girlfriend when we were bumping uglies."

"Caroline, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Serena scowled.

"I'm stopping you from making the biggest mistake of your life, Serena."

"Bernie is not a mistake."

"You didn't think that when we were dating."

"Serena, what?" Bernie asked, hurt.

"Caroline, shut up. Bernie, I was mad at you. I complained to her about you because you had hurt me so much by leaving me. I needed to vent and everything I said wasn't true. You aren't a mistake. You never were; you never will be."

"Serena, don't lie," Caroline sneered. "You meant every word."

Bernie stood up quickly, approaching Caroline menacingly. She was face to face with Caroline when she said, "I've been wanting to do this ever since I met you."

"Do what?" Caroline sneered.

"This." Then Bernie slapped her across the face. She turned to Serena, grinning, "That felt good."

"You gave her a good smack there. Jesus, Bernie!" Serena exclaimed, also grinning.

Caroline recovered quickly, "You bitch!" She drew her hand back to slap Bernie back but as she brought her hand to Bernie's face, Bernie blocked her.

"You ever go near me or Serena again, I will personally see that what I do to you will be far worse than the incident that brought you here," Bernie threatened. She let Caroline go, before turning back to Serena. She pulled her up and into an embrace. When they pulled away slightly, Bernie leant in, claiming Serena's lips with her own. They kissed softly, but passionately until the need for air broke them apart.

With their lips still quite close, Bernie whispered, "How about you and I get out of here?"

"We still have a shift to finish," Serena whispered back.

"Maybe, but we have a willing cover right here, meaning we can get out of here and do whatever the hell we want. Dinner?"

"Tonight?"

"My place?"

"Okay."

"So are we going?"

"Yeah. But one thing first."

"What's that?"

"I love you Berenice Griselda Wolfe."

"Ouch. The full name. But I love you too, Serena Wendy Campbell."

Bernie pulled out her phone, texting Fletch, **'All sorted. I love her, she loves me. And the other scarlet woman doesn't exist.'** She led Serena to the door, waiting for it to be unlocked and was surprised when it opened almost straight away. Grabbing Serena's hand, Bernie pulled her from the ward, through the hospital to the ground floor and to the car, before driving away into the late afternoon.

* * *

 _A/N: All done! See, you got your happy Berena ending! There will be no more on this fic, but I hope to begin another one soon._

 _Tata sweethearts! xx_


End file.
